All At Once
by baby-rose15
Summary: Collection of One-Shots all surrounding Booth and Brennan. Chapter 45 is "Back Where You Started" is the finale installment in the series. Please Read and Review.
1. Everywhere

**Welcome my friends to my new collection of Bones One shots, _If Only You Knew_. For my loyal readers thank you for sticking with me through the switch to a new collection, for the ones that are just picking this up Welcome! I always love fresh readers. **

**So this is a spoilery piece there's nothing super specific though unless you already know what I'm talking about here. It is set after the 100th episode just so you know the time line. Just so you know this took a wild turn when I was writing it but I really like it. Ok more at the end.**

**And as per usual I don't own Bones no matter how much I wish I did. If you can't follow it let me know but it should work.  
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Everywhere

You look around you and you realize he's everywhere. There on the bookshelf in your office is the picture of you and him with and the rest of the team at the Diner. You know there's another picture of the just the two of you at the gala on your fridge at home. You know that you have a spare tie for him in your office, just in case you need his for an experiment, or he spills something on it. You know that you have one of his shirts folded neatly in one of your drawers, not in case he needs it, but in case you do.

You spend most of your time with him whether it's during the week at work, even if you don't have a case he'll almost always swing by to pick up up for lunch or at least bring you something, and he does the same for dinner. You realize that he's even in your weekends, whether it's asking you to do something with him and Parker or to just come over and watch a movie with him.

He's literally everywhere you can't even escape him in your thoughts. Actions that you once made without a consideration to how they would affect anyone else, you know always consider him in the process. When deciding to go on a trip you always make sure that he'll be ok with it, had you known that his post-coma amnesia was going to linger longer that it should have you wouldn't have left then. Not that leaving ever really got him out of your thoughts because he plagued them ever waking minute you were there.

And ever since you sat on that couch in Sweets office and related the story of your first case together you realized that he never did leave you can't help but wonder how he's ended up everywhere. You believe that maybe you should make an effort to see what was out there besides the world inundated with him, to see if someone else could be everywhere in your life. There's a voice inside your head telling you that he can't be everywhere for you because you work together and so the logical rational conclusion is that if one person can be everywhere for you then so can someone else.

So know you sit at the dinner at your usual spot but you're not across from him and at first, it feels ok, like maybe, he's not the only one out there that can be everywhere. But as the man across the table continues to talk and continues to make an effort to make you laugh but you can't help but compare this man to the one that is everywhere and he really is everywhere because he's plaguing your thoughts right now. So you smile and carry on the conversation wondering how long it'll be until you can leave this man and find him, because he's everywhere for you and you don't think that you could handle life in any other way now, because you need him to be everywhere.

So when this coffee ends and you smile politely and tell this man that you had a good time, and he chuckles and tells you not to worry about it, this man tells you that he's lucky to have you everywhere and that you should go find him because you need him as much as he needs you.

So you watch this other man leave, wishing you'd completely understood what he'd meant before you go looking for the man who is everywhere to you. He's right were you expected him to be, seating on a bar stool at the Founding Fathers slowly nursing a beer looking morosely into the bottle as though his world is crashing down around his ears. You signal to the bartender that you'll have your usual glass of red before sliding onto the stool beside him, lightly brushing his arm with yours so he knows your there. He looks up at you with a small smile of relief on his face that your there and you smile at him realizing that you need his smile everywhere. You sit in silence for a few moments as you wait for you wine. After the bar tender set the glass down you take a small sip just to fortify yourself. "You're everywhere." He reaches over and covers your hand with his and you squeeze the fingers that have settled in your palm before he sighs and says, "Welcome to my world."

You drink your wine and he finishes his beer before you say anything any. Now you turn to him and his chocolate irises' meet yours as you tell him. "I want you to be everywhere." He doesn't question the statement; rather he just smiles for a moment as he accepts it.

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You know you've made it so that she's everywhere. You insist that she eats and you drag her to do things with you. You've made her into part of Parker's life so that she has a bigger part of your life. In your office hidden behind the autographed Flyers photo and the grinning photo of Parker is one of the three of you and you can't help but wish that that's what every day looked like.

You like having her everywhere. You like that after spending the day with her, her scent clings to your clothes, that subtle hint of chocolate and brown sugar that you can't get enough of. You love that she always takes you and no one else to her events as an author or as an anthropologist. You love that you're the person that she calls when she has a question, needs to talk, or is just bored. You love that she's accepted that your everywhere and allows it to happen.

That was until the day the earth moved. You'd sat on Sweets couch and recounted that first time together and you can't process her reactions it's almost as if she'd never realized that you were there. So the next case you're ok but that brilliant brain of hers is processing something and you can't seem to figure it out so you let it go. That is until she tells you that she's going to have coffee with him, and you know that she's trying to see if you belong everywhere to her and so you decide to try the same thing. After all that would be the rational thing to do.

So when this woman asked you out you said yes, you own it to yourself to see if she really belongs everywhere or if you've fit her into that construct because it was easy to do. So you sit across from the other women and you laugh at her jokes and attempt to make her laugh with yours. But it's just not the same, you keep imposing her reactions on this woman and comparing her to this woman and well it's just not fair to this other women to have to compete with her when the other doesn't even have a chance.

So when you finish dinner you have every intention of breaking the truth to this women honestly but she doesn't even give you a chance to tell her, instead she looks you right in the eyes and tells you to go to her because no other woman is going to ever measure up, and they shouldn't have to. You smile and let this women go knowing that she's right, but at the same time you know that she's out with him and that there is no way she wants you to be everywhere like she's been for you.

So you watch that woman walk out your life and you walk to the Founding Fathers and order a beer and contemplate how you will ever be able to live if she decides that she doesn't want to be everywhere for you and doesn't want you everywhere. You can't process it, without her everywhere; well you're not sure that there is a point anymore.

So when her arm brushes against yours as she slides in the bar stool next to him you can't help but feel relief that she's everywhere again even if she hasn't really picked. You hold your breath as she takes a sip of her wine and then she speaks and as usually, her voice is the most beautiful thing in the world to him. "You're everywhere." She states in that scientific observation tone that you love about her.

You don't know what to say, you know that you can't rush her and she'll come to her conclusion at some point and she'll let you know. But you can't help yourself from reaching out and covering her hand with yours, curling your fingers into her palm. When her hand squeezes yours the constricting feeling that you've had since the earth moved, well it eased a little bit. "Welcome to my world."

So you sit with her, amazed at how complete the world feels when you can feel her everywhere, as you try and ignore the voice in your mind that keeps reminding you that she hasn't made a definitive announcement as to how she feels about you being everywhere, she's merely announced that she knows that you are. So when she smiles and looks at you with her icy gray-blue eyes relief course through you because when her eyes turn that color she's happy and knows you will be too.

"I want you to be everywhere." She states and you can't help but smile and take it in for just a moment before you move in and don't kiss her just yet because while you are more than happy to be everywhere for her you have to tell her something first. So you rest your forehead on hers and smile a little wider before you say just loud enough for only her to hear and no one else in the crowded room, "I don't know how not to be everywhere for you, because I need you to be everywhere for me."

Her smile grows wider as a tear escapes down her cheek glittering in the bars lighting. Your hand comes up to brush it away before she closes the distance between the two of you wrapping her hands around you and pulling herself close as she buries her head in the crook of your neck, at first you don't know to respond before that scent that's followed you everywhere for nearly seven years now pulls you into burying your head in her hair. When she finally pulls away she stops only briefly to whisper in your ear, "Not only are you everywhere but you are everything."

Your stunned for a moment before you register that she's pulling you out the door by the hand that she's laced her fingers with, and your helpless not to follow because while she's everywhere for you too, she will always be your everything.

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**And there it is the first of what will hopefully be many more. If you liked it then you should let me know so that I know that I should continue to write for you. Also if you need more Bones then you should read _Enough for Now_ my first collection of one shots which was just completed.**

**There it is.**

**Babyrose  
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	2. Cause and Effect

**Ok so I'm not positive where this came from but it's here, probably something to with snowmaggedon. Any way as usual I don't own Bones**

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Cause and Effect

For every effect, there is a cause that is what restores my faith in the world. I told Booth the truth: causes and their effects are beautiful and reassuring at the same time, because the knowledge that everything is caused by something is reason for relief. Every effect has a cause and when I can't see it, I know that there is a reason behind it and that calms my nerves.

And yet there is one effect that I know the causes of, and yet I grapple with why that is the effect because it shouldn't be so. It can't be so and yet it is a simple cause and effect.

Booth showing up at my door or my office when he knows that I've had a long day is the cause of me feeling cared about.

Booth's efforts to make me laugh is the cause of my laughter even if I don't get the joke.

Booth's proximity is the cause of my heart beating a little faster.

Booth's smile is the cause of my smile.

Booth's arrival with a case is the cause of my excitement to leave the lab and spend time with him.

Booth's voice coming through the phone when he's bored is the cause of my understanding that he needs me around as much as I need him.

Booth mood is the cause of my mood.

Booth's happiness and love for his son is the cause of my love for his son.

Booth's touch is the cause for me to breathe a sigh of relief.

Booth's adamant belief in love is the cause of my belief that there is more to love than just chemicals.

Booth's willingness to challenge me is the cause for my admiration of him.

Booth's bone structure is the cause of my original psychological response to him.

Booth's gut feeling is the cause for me to see what else the evidence says to see if his gut is right.

Booth's questioning of what I've always believed is the cause of my re-evaluation.

Booth's trust in me is the cause of my trust in him.

Booth's ability to always know what I need to hear when I'm questioning something is the cause for me turning to him when I need someone to answer my questions.

Booth's personality is the cause for my continued psychological response to him.

Booth's belief in god is the cause for numerous bickering matches, which are the cause for numerous disagreements, which are the cause for him to prove his point and still stay here.

Booth's stern belief that he won't leave me is the cause for me to for once in my life rely on someone else besides myself.

Booth's actions that have saved me every time is the cause of my belief that he always will save me, every time.

Booth's intelligence is the cause of my original trust in him, not that I would ever tell him that.

Booth's understanding of me is the cause for my belief that I'm not as weird as the rest of society would like to believe.

But when it comes to love, I can't discern if my reaction to all of those things above are they cause of my feelings or the effect?

The world is a collection of cause and effect it's what makes it make sense to me; it's what makes it rational to me. Yet there is this one concept that throws it all away because it is both the cause and the effect.

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**Thoughts?**

**Baby rose  
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	3. Double Date

**Ok so i'm kinda in a funk with my writing but I'm pushing through it. Here's another one-shot for you it's set after the 100th and so stop reading now if you're attempting to be spoiler free.**

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Double Date

A double date, Sweets could not have come up with a stupider idea than this, and yet Bones had agreed to it and so here we were sitting at the diner. The four of us sitting at a table. Bones and Hacker on one side, and Catherine and I one the other side.

If that was awkward enough we were silent, not a single one of us talking, all of us just looking down at our food. Bones was awkwardly pushing her salad around her plate every now and then looking up at me trying to get me say something, to salvage the situation, start some sort of conversation say something. But all I could was think that this was totally the wrong way around Bones and I should be here together, having a double date with a different couple not here as part of two separate couples.

And the I had an idea, "Catherine did you know that Andrew has a guitar in his office….."

Bones caught on, "Yes he does, Andrew why don't you tell her the story of how you got it." She gestured with her hand between the two of them before stabbing her salad and sticking a bite in her mouth. That did the trick Andrew and Catherine hit it off talking about the guitar and then a god knows what else but it was enough.

Bones smiled at me thanking me for saving the evening, stealing one of my fries when neither of them was looking. Bones and I didn't say a word as they just kept talking and talking, we ordered coffee and pie, well I order pie and Bones ordered a fruit salad, and yet they kept talking.

Eventually the squints all came into the dinner as a group something about getting icecream to celebrate the case we'd closed that morning. They wanted Bones and I to join in which I was happy to do, Bones all but leaped to join them at the counter. Catherine and Hacker didn't seem to mind in fact they were left out, in fact they didn't say good-bye when they left together, I heard Hacker offering her a ride home. Strangely it didn't bother me, instead I found myself happy for them, and relieved that they'd hit it off.

We laughed with the squints as they ate their icecream before Bones turned to me and whispered that she was tired and asked me to take her home. I nodded and paid for dinner and the squints desert too, why not the night was ending so much better than I thought it was going to.

As we left the diner Bones slipped her arm through mine, "I think that Andrew and Catherine hit it off."

"I would say that." I chuckled, "I don't think that this is how Sweets intended this night to go at all."

"Actually, I would say that his experiment was a complete failure all the way around." She said was we climbed into the SUV and I pulled into traffic heading in the direction of her apartment.

"What do you mean?"

"Well Sweets suggested that we see other people if we were going to contest the conclusion of his book to prove him wrong." She answered shrugging her shoulders.

"Bones just because Andrew and Catherine didn't work out doesn't mean that Sweets was right. That would be jumping to a conclusion; there are hundreds of other people out there that you could be in love with." Mentally I smacked myself, why am I pushing this conclusion so hard I don't actually want her to see other people I definitely don't want to keep trying to see other people. Dam Sweets and his experiments, I just want to prove that he doesn't know us as well as he thinks he does. Unfortunately, his expertise seems to be right again.

Bones was oblivious to my train of thought though and answered with her own startling conclusion, "Booth I'm while that there are quite possibly thousands of other people that would make good potential mates for myself, just as there are thousands of other women that would be good potential mates for you. But what tonight concluded was that no matter how many others there are, good or bad, I'll still want to sit and eat with you at the diner and steal your fries rather than anyone else's because I'd rather spend my time with you as opposed to anyone else." Leave her to be cryptic the one time I could use her bluntness.

"But Sweets concluded that we were in love with each other and when we told him that he was wrong he suggested that we date others and when we did… we'll he suggested that fiasco… our dates left with each other."

She shrugged as I pulled into a parking spot in front of her building, "I don't mind. Like I said Sweets was right. Thanks for the ride Booth, I'll see you tomorrow." She opened her door and swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door to her building, without looking back.

I jumped out of car and followed her, spinning her around to face me. "So Sweet's was right?"

She nods calmly, "Yes, it appears he reached an accurate conclusion."

I shook my head in disbelief, "Let me get this straight you believe that Sweets was right, that we're in love with each other?"

Again, she nods looking not remotely bothered, "Well I can't really speak for you but for my own part, yes he was right. It would appear that I am in love with you."

I'm in total shock I didn't think those words would ever leave her mouth let alone to me and yet they just did and she's acting as though someone told her the earth was round: it's totally normal. I let the words sink in as the silence between us grows a little longer, "Booth" then I heard it the small panicked voice she uses when she's worried about my reaction, her eyes change from their regular clam blue grey to a deeper blue a tell tale sign that she's worried.

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face, "Sweet's was right." I say but of course that's not definite enough for her so I add, "I'm in love with you." There's relief in her face, she's smiling just a little bit, and her eyes are sparkling. I run my hand down her arm. "So what do we do now?"

"Well that's up to you, I believe that there are a lot of options. For example you could ask me out, you could kiss me, or we could ignore it and continue on…" I cut her off, pulling her whole body to me. "I take it that ignoring it is not an option."

I ran my thumb along her cheekbone and smoothed her hair behind her ear, "No, ignoring it is not only not an option, it's completely impossible." Then I kissed her just like I've been dreaming of doing for years, and when she finally pulled back she tugged on my hand and pulled me inside the building. As the elevator door closed I chuckled, "It's seems Sweet was right, a double date wasn't such a bad idea."

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**Like or dislike?**

**6 weeks left of this terrible bones free time**

**babyrose  
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	4. Cocky

**To start off yes I changed the name of the collection, I didn't like the other one**. **Secondly many thanks to those of you that have already read and reviewed what's been posted so far. **

**This tidbit was inspired by the video FOX released on Thursday about the belt buckle, I'm thinking about doing something on them all if time allows. I like it so you'll have to let me know if you do. **

**No I don't own Bones, not at all, although I did get to see the Smithsonian's forensic anthropology exhibit and part of the lab today which was cool, not at all like the Jeffersonian but still cool. **

**Alright read on**

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Cocky

That darn belt buckle described the man so accurately: Cocky. The charming smile he wore when he got his way. The certainty that his actions always carried, whether he was happy or angry. He was simply cocky, in everything he did.

Original I'd found it to be arrogance mostly because he didn't believe that I was any good at my job, but by the end of the first week I'd determined that he was simply cocky not arrogant. And in truth, he deserved to be cocky.

Most the time it was endearing when he was cocky, it made me smile, and he was confident enough to always be a presence in the room. Which worked well for me it meant that we got what needed to be done, done, and my presence wasn't overshadowing to his. It was a good balancing mechanism, and so I got used to him being cocky, I even found it attractive.

Yes, there were times when his cocky attitude drove me crazy and I wanted to just take him down explain to him why everything he believed was just not true. But his valiant belief and certainty in it, was what made him cocky and it was impossible to destroy it and so I was back to admiring him for it.

And then the belt buckle showed up. It was the first case after Sully left. It was large and red, and certainly drew plenty of attention right away. On that case thought we were bickering and fighting like crazy, paranoid that'd I'd stayed behind because I couldn't leave Booth, because he was more important to me than Sully ever was. Gordon Gordon had given us a reason that at the time seemed plausible and certain made it easier for us to go back to working properly. Today though the reason was bullshit but it doesn't matter because we finally made it here, and I let a smile bloom on my face as my fingers tangle in his hair.

So over the years I've made fun of him for it, a lot of fun of him actually, if you add it all up. But I loved it, it was just so Booth. So when he used it to escape from the ship when the gravedigger took him and it was destroyed I just knew I had to find him another one. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult there was a store in Georgetown with a few and so I picked one up before going to get him from the hospital. When I'd given it to him at the cemetery he was so happy that I'd found one for him.

Then after his coma, he wasn't wearing it, and it was just an outward manifestation of the lack of confidence in himself, the lack of cockiness he was feeling if you will. Soon enough it was back along with his cocky demeanor and everything seemed to start to right itself again.

That was until Sweets book came out and we were so desperate to prove him wrong that we tried dating other people and then that women, gave him that terrible tie. It was horrific, I suppose that she had been trying to go along with his general theme of outlandish ties, but this one was not a tie he would ever wear unless he was given it as a gift. I couldn't help but feel a little smug about the fact that the tie wouldn't last, while the belt buckle I'd given him was a constant, grant it it was a replacement but still I'd given it to him.

I still remember the first time I'd taken it off him. It was covered in vascular tissue and we were standing in the bone room, but the significance of the act wasn't lost on me, neither was his sudden need to start reciting saints. At the time, I remember wishing that one day soon I would get to take it off him without actually having the latex gloves on.

Well maybe wishes can come true, because the metal was warm from his body heat as my hands wrapped around it and released the mechanism allowing it to come undone and me to pull it from his belt loops. And when the metal hit the ground with a satisfying clunk and he growled just a little bit into my neck before scooping me up and carrying me to the bed, I was sure that its original intent was that cocky thud it exuded as it was finally removed.

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**I do love that belt buckle, although I'm fairly certain no one else would ever be able to pull it off. Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought, and together we'll make it to April. Think February is nearly over.**

**Until a later date**

**Baby rose  
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	5. Painting

**Thank to all of you that reviewed, your amazing! I'm going to admit that I have absolutely no idea where this came from or why but it did and I think you'll like because it's just so Angela. **

**Still don't own bones because if I did there would be no hiatus and there would always be 26 episodes in a season.**

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Painting

I don't know what sparked it or why I couldn't stop until I was finished. It was just something that really you can't stop until it's done even though you don't know what done is until you get there.

I stepped back to look at the finished painting. Immediately I knew why it had captured me and why I'd been unable to put down the brush but I hadn't anticipated the outcome. They were both there, loving looks on their faces, ones that I saw so often. The more interesting fact was that the love was not aimed at each other this time but rather the pink bundle in Brennan's arms.

That was what had been so unexpected when I'd started painting and yet I couldn't set down the brush or change directions once I'd started. So there in front of me was Booth and Brennan holding what could only be their daughter. Granted the painting was completely unrealistic, they'd only sort of figured out what they were a few weeks ago, and certainly didn't have a baby and Brennan would have told me if she was pregnant and yet this is what I'd been gripped with the desire to paint today.

It was so quintessentially them too. She was holding the child, with an air of just getting used to it, and he was protectively standing guarding over both of them looking down at the little girl that had her blue eyes and his hair.

I sighed blowing the bangs out of eyes and wiping the paint off my fingers wondering what I was going to do with it, when Cam walked into the room.

"Angela do you think that you could..." She stopped caught by the painting, "Wow." She turned to look at me, "Did I miss something?"

"Not that I know of, I just had to paint it for some reason." I shrugged my shoulders still confused as to what the painting meant.

Cam nodded and went back to looking at it, "It's just… Angela this is stunning…what are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know, I was thinking about hiding it until it was true."

"You guys want to grab some lunch?" Hodgins stuck his head into the office, when he saw it. "Ange that's amazing but since when to Booth and Brennan have a baby?"

"They don't, I just painted it. I have no idea why, it just sort of gripped me." I folded my arm across my chest staring at the painting in front of me trying to discern what had possessed me to do this and what I was going to do with it. Hodgins came into the office and the three off us stared at the three of them marveling at how accurate it looked and right, even though it was completely untrue.

"It's a beautiful painting Angela, seriously I don't think that anyone else could capture that without having seen it," Hodgins whispered. After a while, I gave up on pondering it for the moment moving to pack up the paints and Cam and Hodgins started to leave Brennan came flying in.

"Angela can we talk?" She said a little breathlessly.

"Sure" Cam and Hodgins signaled that they were leaving when we all stopped dead in our tracks by Brennan's next statement.

"How'd you know?" She'd seen the painting. She moved closer motioning at it. "I didn't know until this morning… and I don't know if it's a girl." She looked at me waiting for an answer. "How did you know?"

Cam and Hodgins eyes darted between us like a tennis match, "Sweetie I had no idea I just had the urge to paint this, I've been trying to figure out why and what to do with it." I paused, "Wait are you saying that you're pregnant?"

Of course she didn't answer, instead she motioned to the painting, "Can I have this?"

"Um yeah sure, I was going to give it to you eventually anyway… I think." I wrinkled my brow trying to determine what had just happened.

Brennan scooped it up and left the three of us standing in my office, "Bren you didn't answer the question" I called after her to no effect. We watched from the windows as she marched up onto the platform and sent the staff scurrying. She just stood on the platform with the painting waiting.

It wasn't long before Booth turned up demanding to know what the hell was going on before stopping dead in his tracks on the stairs up the platform eyes fixed on the painting. We didn't hear what was being said but within seconds, his laughter echoed through the lab as he picked her up and spun her around before setting her down and kissing her soundly.

At that point we decided it was probably safe to leave my office and we wandered out under the pretense that we believe Booth had a case for us. Cam even clapped her hands together, "What have you got for us Booth." Ignoring the fact that he was still holding Brennan to him as if she was the most fragile thing in the world.

Brennan managed to disengaged herself from the over the moon Booth and face us, "We're having a baby." Her face glowed and his smile grew, if that's possible.

I couldn't help it any more the laughter bubbled out and Cam and Hodgins weren't far behind me. I calmed down enough to hug them both offering my congratulations and offering to take them out for lunch in celebration, which then Hodgins said it was his treat after all I'd done the painting.

We all grabbed our things for lunch and were leaving the building when Brennan turned to me, "You really had no idea? You just painted it?" I nodded. "Well are you sure I can have it, I want to put it in the nursery."

"The paintings yours Sweetie, the only other person I could give it to would be Booth. So tell me when is Auntie Angela going to meet her niece?"

"Ange I don't know if I'm having a boy or a girl."

"And I didn't know you were pregnant when I painted it, and I painted a girl so I'm betting you're having a girl."

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**I know that you readers are out there and I think that you should review too. Not that you have to but you should let me know what you think and if you have any ideas.**

**I was going to tell you how many days are left till April fools day but that's actually to depressing to post.**

**Baby rose  
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	6. King of the Lab

**So I said that I was going to try and write pieces on the thrusday videos so here's this weeks piece. And if I do say so it's rather entertaining. And no matter how much fun I have with the characters they are not mine.**

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King of the Lab

"I am officially King of the Lab!" exclaimed as I walked up the steps to the platform, arms raised above my head in triumph.

Angela smirked and smiled at me from over the body, Cam just lifted her head, "What did you find Hodgins?"

"Oh what did I find? Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased the two women on the platform.

"Hodgins what possibly could be so helpful to the case that not only are you crowing 'King of the lab' but you're making us guess?" Angela shook her head in disbelief.

"Something that has absolutely nothing to do with the case." I could see them puzzling what I had come up with.

"Hodgins." Cam sighed stand up and putting her hands on the table, "You can't be 'King of the Lab' if it has nothing to do with the case? So what are you going on about?"

This was too much fun. "Booth and Brennan." Both of their expressions went from mere amusement to ones of genuine interest as they walked around the table to look at the partners who were flirting in Brennan's office.

Angela's head snapped back to me, "What do you know?" She demanded

"Well how many times since we met Booth has he worn the same tie two days in a row?" I stood behind them watching them study Booth.

Cam answered, "He's never worn the same tie two days in a row in the 15 years I've known him."

"And…" I paused for dramatic effect.

"…he wore that tie yesterday." Angela finished for me.

"But here's what makes me King of the Lab." They're both just staring at me in disbelief. "He's wearing the same socks as well."

Angela's head might as well have spun right off her body with how fast it whipped to look at Booth's ankles. "OH MY GOD!" She yelled.

Cam was a little more subdued in her realization, "There's no way, after all this time we find out because of his socks."

Angela shook her head, "It's too good to be true. Maybe he just crashed on her couch after doing paper work."

I scoffed, "What paperwork? We only just started the case."

"I'm with Angela," Cam turned and walked back to the corpse. "Until I see some psychical interaction that confirms your hypothesis, I'm going to be forced to believe that they are still 'just partners'"

Angela joined her back at the table and picked up her sketchpad again, "Until they say so or I witness it, I can't believe it. There have been so many false alarms over the years I can't get my hopes up."

"Oh come on…" I groaned, "The socks… the tie… clearly something has changed."

"Dr. Hodgins I advise that you put on some gloves and start taking samples." Cam ordered in her, 'I'm the boss voice.'

"Fine, but I'm telling you I'm right." I snapped the gloves on a little to viciously and picked up a pair of tweezers as Booth and Brennan walked up on the platform.

"Alright Squint Squad, what have you got for me" Booth clapped his hands together, as Brennan went and grabbed a pair of gloves.

"I should have a face in a few hours," Angela answered eyeing them suspiciously.

"The tox screen was clear." Cam answered calmly.

"I'll call you when the x-rays are in." Dr. B told him picking up the file on the body glancing at it and then back at him.

"Alright I'm going to go change; I'll see you all in a few hours." Then he proved my hypothesis right by kissing Brennan hard and fast on the mouth. "Lunch at 12 Bones."

And he took off down the steps and Brennan bent over the body. Angela was staring at disbelief at Brennan and Cam was looking back and forth between the doors Booth had disappeared out of and back at Brennan motioning between them with the scalpel in her hand. All I could think was victory. "I am so King of the Lab!"

"Yes Hodgins you are the King of the Lab for now but if you fail to find something helpful on this case I'll be stripping you of the title." Brennan said calmly continuing to look at the body.

I shrugged and pulled a fiber from the corpse placing on my tray. "Can't ruin it for me. I'm King of the Lab!" I yelled loud enough for every tech to turn and look at me and my path to my station.

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**Tell me I made you laugh. I really hope I made you laugh.**

**Baby Rose  
**


	7. I'm Not Going Anywhere

**Well thanks every one for the overwhelming response to King of the Lab. I was glad you all like it. Now this one not as much fun but I think you'll like it, it's a little more sobering. Set in the not so distant future possibly the end of the season, beginning of the next one. **

**Still not mine, depressing isn't it.  
**

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I'm Not Going Anywhere

I stood up off the couch resolved to do what I'd been grappling with for weeks now. Ever since Sweets book had come out.

She looked up at me expectantly from her desk probably wondering if I was going to drag her out to eat or take her home. Instead, I delivered what was possibly the most heart shuddering statement of my life. "I can't do this anymore. I can't play this waiting game, wondering if you're ever going to be ready."

Ready for what?" She looked up at me quizzically, trying to discern what I was going on about.

"For me to tell you that I love you." I put it bluntly; making sure that there was no way, that she could misunderstand me.

Her brow wrinkled in that adorable way it does when she's trying to figure something out. "You already did that, in an atta girl sort of way. Remember?" I can see her mind trying to figure out if this is for real or if they're symptoms of a returning tumor.

I sighed frustrated, sometimes it was so difficult to get her to understand something and take it at face value, she was always trying to figure out if it was supposed to mean more. "My own fault but in my defense after I said it you looked like you were panicking, that you weren't ready for me to tell you…" I paused. "To tell you that I love you in a heart stopping make my head spin kind of way."

"You love me in a heart stopping making your head spin kind of way?" She asked quietly standing up out of her chair to face me properly, as if she was trying to level the playing field.

"I'm over the moon about you, heartbreakingly, earth shatteringly, irrevocably in love with you." I confess blatantly.

She didn't answer, she just stared at me. I knew that she wasn't ready, and I knew that I couldn't wait any longer that I was just going to have to move on. "This is what I can't do anymore, I can't wait anymore. I can't do this anymore. I have to move on maybe get a transfer or take a leave of absence I just can't wait anymore; I have to get over you."

Still she said nothing; she just stood there looking at me. I know that she couldn't believe that I was leaving her too. After all those promises, I made about never going anywhere, and here I was abandoning her too. I wanted to tell her it wouldn't be permanent that I would be back I just had to move on for mooning over her like a love sick puppy.

"I have to go Dr. Brennan," I used her formal name, something that sound so strange coming from my mouth, to put some distance between us as soon as possible. I saw her flinch visibly when I used the name she used to insist I call her. "Someone from the FBI will call you and let you know what the arrangements are for the Jeffersonian continued work with the FBI."

"We're partners. I won't work…" She stutters. My heart breaks as I see what I'm doing to her, but I know that I have put myself through worse just waiting for her and for now I have to make myself my first priority.

"Well you'll just have to figure it out, while I figure this out." The words taste harsh coming out of my mouth and I despise myself for saying them.

Silence is what I am greeted with.

"Good bye Bones" I state as calmly as I can manage sliding my hands into my pockets, tumbling the dice between my fingers. I left the lab aware that tears were most certainly streaming down her face, but more concerned with keeping mine in check until I got in the SUV.

The last hours of the work day ticked away each second more painful than the last as I fought the urge to go crawling back to her to beg her to forget that I'd just broken every promise I'd ever made to her, and just let me be her friend and partner if that was all she had to offer. I finally made it home with every intention of getting blind drunk as quickly as possible.

Suit shed, I hid the belt buckle she'd given me, removed from the belt until I could see it without thinking of her, and not knowing if that would ever be truly possible. I poured three fingers of the good whiskey and sat down on the couch staring at the photo of the two of us at an event, allowing myself to finally break and the tears to run freely down my face.

I heard the knock and ignored it the first time. But when it came louder this time and more insistent I got up to answer it. Whoever it was would go away faster that way if I sent them on their merry way, far away from my misery. I wiped the tears from my face and strode over to the door not bothering to check who was on the other side.

As the door swung open, I was greeted with her looking more beautiful than I'd ever seen. There she stood, water streaming down her face from her hair, mixing with the tears that were running freely from her red-rimmed eyes. She was soaking wet, she must have walked here in the pouring spring rain, hair curling with abandon around her shoulders, and clothes clinging to her body.

Neither of us said anything. She made no move to come inside and I made no move to ask her why she was here. She just looked at me and I looked right back.

A door slamming on another floor shook them out of our silence.

"Bones…" I said as she breathed.

"Don't stop." The tears running anew down her cheeks.

Silence again before I got the courage to ask. "Don't stop what Bones?"

"Loving me in a heart stopping, making your head spin, over the moon, heartbreakingly, earth shatteringly, irrevocably type of way."

My heart stuttered, "Why?" was all I could manage.

I could tell that she was trying to answer with her eyes, begging me not to make her say it, to just understand like I normally do. But just this once I need to hear it from her own lips rather than just reading what's happening in that brain of hers.

She throws her hands up in the air and then gives me an answer that I wasn't quite expecting. "Because you said that you would never leave me." She's calling me out on that and I have no rebuttal so I remain silent waiting for her to continue. She steadied herself with a big breath. "You said that you would never leave me and yet you're leaving and it's not fair because everyone, and I do mean everyone, has left me in my life, and until now there was nothing I could do about it."

She looks at me, there's a fire burning in her making her eyes glimmer in a fascinating way. "But you taught me that I have to fight to stay with the people I love and for the first time it's within my power to stop someone I love and who loves me from leaving."

I want to clarify what I just heard but I can't actually bring myself to ask the question that my mind is spinning with.

There's no need to ask though because she answered it in her next breath. "So I'm here to stop you from leaving me because you simply can't any more, I won't be able to function without you because I love you. I love you in a heart breaking, over the moon, earth shattering, everlasting kind of way, so don't stop loving me."

My heart seems to beat faster than it has in years because her next question is one that makes clear just how much she needs me too. "Please don't leave me, please?"

I don't actually answer her instead I finally pull her across the threshold and slam the door behind her and before her lips met mine I tell her the truth. "I'm not going anywhere Bones."

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**That's all I hope that you liked it. And be happy every one it's march else than a month to the hellishly long hiatus is over and bones is back in our lives.**

**Baby rose  
**


	8. Book

**So this entry and the next two are just little drabbles based on some of the prompts from the hiatus challenge. I'm not going to do them I'll mostly because I don't have time and I've done others of them previous to the hiatus, and i'm just uninspired by some of them. **

**Sadly their not mine.**

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Book

It came in the mail last week. I wasn't going to read it originally; I mean why would I it's just a completion of the vagaries of a soft science that Sweets put together after observing us for two years.

The book was taunting me just sitting on my counter, daring me to see just what exactly Sweets had learned from watching our interactions. And so I read it expecting to learn nothing new, or for it to contain any unknown conclusions of Booth's relationship and mine.

I rationalized that the book wasn't for our benefits, it was for other partnerships. Even the title was daunting, "Bones: The Heart of the Matter." It alluded to so many things that I didn't believe that it could have possibly gotten them all, but once again, Sweets' and his psychology had proved me wrong.

Once I'd opened the hard back, I wasn't able to stop. Every free moment was devoted to reading it. I was astonished at the level of detail, accuracy, and understanding of our relationship that I couldn't put it out of my mind. When I wasn't reading it I was constantly pondering over its meaning and if we were really just like the book. The only answer I could come up with though was, yes. Which is what drove me to keep reading it to see what else Sweets knew about us and what he was unveiling to the world.

The only thing that kept me from praising the text was the fact that, despite all the correct conclusions, it was based upon a faulty assumption: that we'd hated each other the first time we'd met. So when I'd read the conclusion, even though it made me strangely happy, I knew I could discredit it based on that one faulty assumption.

What perplexes me is how Sweets could be right if he started with a faulty assumption. We hadn't hated each other to start with; in fact, we'd really liked each other to start with. We hadn't really understood each other, certainly not like we do know, but there was an attraction between us right from the start. I still remember the first time we met, the thought made me laugh.

There had been that falling out that gave Sweet's what he believe was our start, but we've always felt something for the other. Now it's different of course now were friends, extremely close friends, with what I even recognized as an underlying romantic tension.

But if you start with a faulty assumption and base everything else on that assumption then your results cannot possibly be correct. Can they?

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**On to the next one**


	9. Intern

**The next one is well a little bit of my own feelings towards this particular position, mostly because it feels like I've been interning for years and I would like to get paid for my work one of these days. Still not mine.**

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Intern

Intern equals slave labor, most places though pay you in praise when you do something well, sometimes they pay you enough to have roommates and eat. Otherwise, you intern to put on your resume that you've done this before and now you're ready to be paid for it.

That's why I'm interning here, because nothing and I mean nothing looks better on a resume that "Intern at the Jeffersonian Institute under Dr. Temperance Brennan."

But sometimes you forget that benefit when the very same Dr. Brennan demands you to do something you've never done before, or makes you feel horrendous because you missed the cause of death, which she found in less than five minutes.

For some she praises them regularly, others she forget to. Fortunately, one of the other team members knows when you need to hear a "thanks" or "good job." Even her counterpart, Agent Booth, knows when to offer the praise, but he'll do his best to get her to praise me instead of himself.

Still sometimes, the best praise you can get as an intern is when you helped catch the bad guy and helped make the world a little bit safer even if it's from inside the shiny metal lab I intern in.

But all of the worst of interning will be forgotten when I leave here with that prestigious mark on my resume and can regal future employers with stories of working under the best.

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**One more drabble to go.**


	10. Tuxedo

**This one took me a little by surprise, it certainly wasn't what I'd intended to write when I first started riding it on the metro back from the airport. They're still not mine.**

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Tuxedo

"Will you stop fidgeting!" She exclaimed making me drop my hands from the bow tie that I've been trying to sit straight for ages and it just won't.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous," I never thought this day would come and now it's here and I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it for her.

She smiled apologetically at me, "There's nothing you could ruin this for her or embarrass her. I checked your speech, so unless you trip, which you rarely do, and if you did she'll just laugh." She straightened the tie for me and smoothed the jackets lapels. "She gets that from you."

"Yes well her determination to not let anything ruin her plans comes from you." I smiled tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She took a step back from me and nodded her approval. "You always did look good in a tux."

I relaxed, she was right this was going to be just fine, "Come on Bones lets go find Bella, I doubt she would never forgive us if we held up her wedding."

She smiled and took my hand as we walked to the bridal suite, "When'd our little girl grow up Bones?"

And for once she didn't give me the scientific answer instead she whispered, "I have no idea."

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**Well that's all for now. Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought on your way out.**

**Babyrose.  
**


	11. Awkward

**So this isn't a drabble but rather an idea I had for the future of the series should they get them together before it's very end. It's just something i see happening. **

**Nope I still don't own them, and I sincerely doubt the series would do as well as it does if i did own them.  
**

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Awkward

This is supposed to be easy; we're supposed to slide seamlessly into this. We've been mistaken for being a couple so many times in the last six years that logically when we finally were a couple it would be simple and easy for us, we're already best friends, I rely on him for everything and yet it's so awkward.

I used to able to compartmentalize when it came to this, ignore it until it was an appropriate time to deal with it, but now I can't manage to; everything is just so uncomfortable and I'm not used to it being uncomfortable, in fact the only time it had been uncomfortable before was when we were dating other people. I know that rationally I should just talk to him, he always knows what to say to make it better, but right now I need to feel better about us and I just don't know what to do with myself.

I manage to refocus my attentions on the paper in front of me, a grad student looking desperately for some help on her paper. The attention didn't last long though because he came through the door, "Hey Bones, we've got a case" He smiles and bends over my desk to brush a kiss on my lips. I immediately shoot backwards disengaging myself from him, not because I don't feel the electricity that Angela has so adamantly insisted exists for all these years, but because the feeling of anxiety is over whelming whatever electricity there is.

His facial expression says that he's either hurt or confused, but for now he refrains himself from asking instead choosing to let it go while I gather my things. I smile at him trying to calm his nerves as much as mine, before asking the usual questions, what happened, where are we going, and so on as we exit the lab. Instead of putting a hand on the small of my back though like he used to and I like him to, he instead tries to hold my hand. I quickly make sure that both hands are busy so that he can't try to capture them again. It's not that I don't like holding his hand; it's just that it doesn't feel like us going out on a case. It's not Booth and Brennan but rather some other couple that engages in overt displays of affection. Hand holding should be for when we're doing something on our own separate from work.

He didn't ask anything until we were seated in the SUV, "Bones you ok?"

I couldn't tell him the truth not now, not on the way to a crime scene, "I'm fine Booth why?"

"You are most definitely not fine Bones, you look like you haven't slept in days, and you've flinched every time I get near you. What's going on?"

I don't want him to panic or worry about me, I know he will no matter what though so, I reach over and squeeze his arm, "We'll talk about it later, it's not a big deal." It's a big deal I know it, and I know that he'll be upset with me for lying to him right now I just want to focus on the case before us so I lied to him.

The whole case we were both on edge, he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me and I was trying to convince him that there was nothing wrong between us. It wasn't a difficult case; in fact, it would have been simple if we hadn't been so tense. As it was we weren't communicating well nothing seemed to work out, Angela and Cam both commented on it, Hodgins just steered clear of us the entire time, only giving his reports to Cam.

So when it was finally over he took me home to my apartment and even though I didn't invite him up he came up anyway. Silently we rode the elevator standing on either side of the car keeping as much distance between us as possible. The ping of the elevators arrival at my floor caused us to jump, startled out of our thoughts. He followed me quietly down the hall, standing behind me as I struggled to put the right key in the lock.

The door finally opened and I walked into the apartment ahead of him, going about my normal routine. Hung up my coat, set my purse down and went into my room to change into something other than the skirt I was wearing. The whole time acutely aware of the fact that he had shed his suit jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves before getting a beer that I keep in the fridge for him and then settling himself on the couch. His way of letting me know that we were going to talk about what ever it was before he went anywhere.

I returned to the living room after changing my clothes brushing my teeth and splashing water on my face, he was staring at the wall sipping on the beer he'd helped himself to. I stood behind him for several minutes watching him trying to figure out how to tell him. He knew I was there but he was waiting for me to speak first.

I took a deep breath reassuring myself that this would in fact be ok we would work it out. I walked around the couch and sat down on the coffee table facing him. "Booth." I breathed reaching for his hand, which he gave me before I let my head fall to stare at my knees.

He waited a few moments, "Bones, tell me what's going on between us. What's wrong?"

I wrenched my head up to look at him; I could feel the tears running down my cheeks. "Why does it feel so awkward?"

"Why does what feel so awkward?" I can see that he's puzzling to understand me, and he desperately wants to help.

"Us… this change between us, why does this feel so awkward? Every one said this was going to be easy… but I just feel uncomfortable." A sob escaped, why was I crying?

"Hey it's going to be ok." He tried to soothe me with a hand to my cheek and I leaned into it briefly trying to absorb the comfort he was offering before standing, to pace the room.

"How can you possibly know that? Everything just feels a little off, a little bit wrong it's making me nervous, I know that you believe that love can last forever and I want believe that it can be true. But it feels like it's already falling apart at its seams." I stopped to look at him. "If this change means that I could lose you permanently I don't think that I can handle that Booth. I need you to be part of my life."

He got up and walked out of the room leaving me standing there, my mind decided that he must be leaving and instead of relief, I felt worse than any anxiety I'd been feeling because of our relationship. I collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down my face, he was leaving because I was uncomfortable, because I told him the changes between us were too much.

He came running into the room when he heard me hit the floor. "Jesus Bones, I'm not going anywhere I was going to get you a glass of wine, in hopes that it would help you relax." He scooped me up off the floor and carried me over to the couch where he settled with me in his lap. He just held me in his lap stroking my hair as I clung to him breathing him in. Eventually I calmed down enough to look up at him.

He smiled down on me, "Better?" I nodded and sat up turning to face him. "Bones how am I suppose to explain this to you again. I'm not going anywhere. I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to. So just because you're a little uncomfortable with how things are now and experiencing some anxiety doesn't mean that I'm going to leave you behind." I nodded slowly

"What goes on up in here." He tapped my temple, "That's why I love you Bones, I love what is innately you so you getting scared is not going to run me off it's only going to make me fight for you harder. You just have to stop thinking about things so hard and just adjust to things so that they're not so awkward and uncomfortable."

"I can do that." I nodded turning to straddle his lap.

"Good to hear," he dropped a kiss on my forehead, "And if it makes you more comfortable I won't kiss you at work or try and hold your hand until you kiss me at work or try to hold my hand."

He really did love me, "I love you." I whispered putting my head in the crook of his shoulder again. His arms tighten around me in response to the words that I rarely said but he knew I meant them.

"I know." He placed an open mouth kiss on my neck "Are you feeling any anxiety now?" He asked as he moved up the column of my neck before he waited for my answer.

"No, what I'm feeling right now is the complete opposite of anxiety." I assured with him with a kiss of my own as my fingers moved to undo the buttons of his shirt.

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**Well what did you think?**

**Baby rose  
**


	12. Limbo

**So when I'm suppose to do homework I write Bones one shots, the only person that loses out is my thesis professor, and i guess my thesis. So here's another hiatus prompt themed one shot.**

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Limbo

"Where is she?!" I demanded when I got into the lab.

Most of the lab techs scurried away, Angela and Cam raised an eyebrow at my demeanor "I believe she's down in limbo working on a case" Cam answered calmly.

"She was there when I got here Booth, and she made a point of informing me that no one was to disturb her." Angela gently hinted at me as I walked across the platform.

"Do I look like I give a shit," was all I said as I passed them and walked towards limbo.

Wrenching open the door I strode down the steps, satisfied that the door made enough noise to announce my arrival. There was no way we're weren't dealing with this she was not going to run and hide, leaving me in a metaphorical limbo.

"Bones!" I yelled loud enough for tit to reverberate through the storage facility. I turned the corner to see her frozen over a set of remains. I stood on the stairs waiting for her eyes to met mine, slowly she turned to face me and our eyes locked.

Silently we stood there staring at each other before she finally uttered the words, "I'm sorry." Those two words are what caused all of my anger to sputter out as suddenly as it had flared when she'd run. My feet carried me as fast as possible to her and enveloped her in my arms.

She buried her face in the crook of my neck and breathed in the pattern that told me she was fighting tears, never wanting to shed a tear.

"Why'd you run Bones?" I asked quietly "I told you I didn't care if you said yes or no, and yet you ran. You just left me hanging I in metaphorical limbo."

Her body stilled again and then she pulled away. "I was going to say yes… and that's what made me run. Something my brain has always thought was ridiculous and unnecessary and my heart wanted to say yes. So I ran before either had a chance to hurt you. But I can see that running just hurt you more."

My brain was still reeling from the fact that she wanted to say yes. When I'd finally recovered, I asked, "Do you know how you want to answer me now… are you going to go with you heart of brain…." I paused "or are you going to leave me in limbo longer?"

Her brilliant blue eyes bored into me as the seconds ticked by. "You followed me, you didn't let me go, you followed me to limbo, which you hate, but you still followed me here."

A stillness stole over the room as I waited for her to finish the thought. When she did, utter relief coursed through my veins. "My brain and heart are in total accorded when I tell you yes, irrevocably yes."

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**Any guesses as what he asked her.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Baby rose  
**


	13. Drabbles pt 1

**I've decided to go spoiler free for the rest of the season I can't handle the unknown any more to much theorizing and roller coasters even though I know its going to be fine, so I'm just going to stop reading them. **

**Which is what brought me to my next idea. I decided to try and do all of the words for the hiatus challenge, not the ones i've done already but everything else. Rather than devote a lot of time to them I've write the first thing that comes to my head with each word and I write until the idea has run itself out. I've done most of them but will be posting them in groups of 6 because theres 48 left so theres 8 total sets, 7 more to go.**

**The mood, point of view, and timeline vary with all of them. So keep in mind that some will make you laugh and other's might make you cry. They are all short though.**

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Siren, Badge, Charm, Couch, Gut, and Daffodil

**Siren**

The lights aren't enough, so I flip on the siren. It seems like the only thing that I could do, and it wasn't enough. I couldn't get to her fast enough. Why did she do this? Why had she gone without me? Normally the sirens seem excessive to me when I'm trying to get to a scene, but when I'm trying to get to her, they don't seem like enough.

**Badge**

They'd told her he was dead and handed her a bag containing his personal effects. There was his wallet, belt, gun, and his badge. Every night during the two weeks prior to his funeral she would sit down on the couch and run her fingers over the contours of the badge, railing against the powers at be that took him from her. He was the good guy that's why he had the badge and yet it didn't stop the crazy women from taking him from her. She ran her fingers over that badge still; he'd gotten a new one, from time to time to remind herself that he was still there to protect her.

**Charm**

He was trying to charm her, just like usual. "Please Bones can I just have one more cookie, I promise that's all and then I'll pick up the living room and go to bed." He flashed her his charm smile the miniature version of what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

After a minutes she sighed, "Aren't you a little charmer." She was helpless to that smile, "One cookie, and straight to bed."

**Couch**

I came into my office to find Angela sitting on my couch looking rather worried. "What's wrong Ange?"

She looks up at me with a rather perplexed look on her face, "What are you hiding from me?"

Dam her for being so perceptive, I tried to mask my panic, "Nothing Ange why would I hide anything from you?"

I thought I'd succeed until she'd sat back and held up the bra that I hadn't been able to locate last night after Booth had taken it off and before we'd left. "I guess the better question is who are you hiding from me? Because I doubt that you are leaving your bra under the couch all on your own." She smirked at me with that all knowing look.

Thankfully, Booth walked in with a case file, although for once he didn't really save the day. "Hey Bones," He handed me the file before turning to see Angela and what she was holding. "Shit." Was all that came out of his mouth.

Angela just stood laughing and threw the bra at him. "Guess that answers that question. Congrats you guys." And she sauntered out of the room.

**Gut**

"And what's your gut telling you now?" she quirked her eyebrow at me.

I stepped a little closer to her, "My gut is telling me not to tell you and just surprise you." She opened her mouth to make some sassy response I'm sure but I just cut her off with her lips on mine...

Minutes later she managed to ask, "Why are you just now listening to your gut?"

**Daffodil**

I learned they were her favorite flower the first spring we worked together. She didn't really say anything she would just stop and stare tat them for a moment with a small smile on her face. So that year on her birthday I got her a bouquet of them, and even though she refused to acknowledge her birthday in any other way, her face lit up and she took them from me and put them in a vase in her office keeping them as long as possible.

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**Well there's the first set what did you think? I post more soon.**

**Babyrose**


	14. Drabbles pt 2

**Well to my reviewers I wanted to say thank you for taking my time, and to my lurkers thanks for taking the time to read them.**

**On with the next bunch, and they're still not mine.**

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Luddite, Necklace, Evidence, Hockey, Symbiosis, Hug

**Luddite**

"Dad why are you such a luddite?" she sighed just like she used to when she would get annoyed with me when she was a little girl.

"Honey there's no need to call me names."

"I'm not calling you names." She shoots back indignantly, "I'm just annoyed at you're inability to use email."

"Well big brother can track you if you use things like that."

"Dad!" She huffs, "You're my father, and I work with the FBI, trust me they're more than capable of finding you, besides you weren't charged guilty of murder, so you should just stop worrying about big brother."

I started at her for a minute, "Ok. Ok show me how to do it again."

**Necklace**

I'd gotten it for her for Christmas. It weighted heavy in my pocket as I knocked on her door for Christmas dinner. And there it sat for the meal and the secret Santa swap. But after everyone had left and it was just the two of us I pulled it out and handed it to her. She held up a hand and rushed to get her present for me so we could open them together. I could see it in her face that she liked it even though the words weren't coming.

The first time I saw her wear it was when I was sure. "Nice necklace Bones," I told her that morning.

She raised a hand to it and whispered, "Thanks."

**Evidence**

"There's too much evidence for me to ignore the conclusions any more Booth." She stated as we walked into my apartment carrying dinner. We'd had a difficult case, she'd been kidnapped again, and I was looking forward to a quiet evening of me and my partner eating Tai and watching a movie. When she dropped that rather heavy and cryptic statement.

"What are you talking about Bones, too much evidence towards what conclusion?" I asked

"Well you're desperation to save me today and in other instances, your need to protect me it all points to one conclusion." She said as she loaded up her plate with Tai.

"And would that be…?" I asked as I pulled out my own food.

"That you love me." She stated simply and walked into the living room leaving me stunned. I could hear her in the other room putting in the DVD and settling onto the couch. "Booth are you coming?"

**Hockey**

"You can do it Bones; all you have to do is hit the puck with the stick towards the goal." He encouraged her.

She skated slowly still extremely unsure of herself on the skates towards the puck and winds up to hit it. Unfortunately, the force of her attempted hit knock her to the ground. "Booth!" she whines with an amused smile on her face as she tries to get up.

"Hold on." I hook my arms under her shoulders and haul her to her feet. "I guess hockey isn't you sport Bones."

"I don't understand I'm normally very athletically inclined." She pouts

"Apparently not on ice. Here turn around I'll help you shoot one goal." She slowly turned around holding the hockey stick in front of her. I wrapped around her body and helped her shoot the puck into the empty goal.

"I made it!" she exclaimed hopping on her skates.

Pmfdd. "Ouch Bones." In her excitement, she pulled us both to the ground. "Ice is definitely not your thing."

**Symbiosis**

They are so ridiculous these days it's unbelievable, downright symbiotic; one doesn't know how to function without the other. They finish each others sentences; understand what the other is thinking. Everything relates back to the other, they don't really separate anymore they function as a unit; it's to the point that if one of them is coming somewhere you expect the other too. What's worse is that they don't even notice that they live in their own strange symbiotic way. After five years they've fully redefined the term "symbiosis."

**Hug**

A pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind, rather suddenly. The small arms squeezing me tightly, pressing his face into my back. "I love you Bones." The voice attached to the arms told me.

"Well I love you too Parker" I pried his arms lose and turned to face him. "Are you having fun with Haley and Emma?"

He nodded vigorously, "You look so pretty Bones. I wanted to tell you that before mom make me go home."

"Thank you Parker. You look pretty handsome yourself there bud." I straightened the bow tie that had gotten crooked at some point and smoothed the blond curls out of his eyes. "It looks like your mom is signaling that it's time to go." His face dropped a little. "Oh kay I guess." He wrapped his arms around me again. "I'm so glad you're my step-mom now Bones." He whispered in my ear before releasing me and running to his mother. Rebecca waved and followed Parker out of the room.

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**To all of you what did you think?**

**I hope to post more this weekend but the Health care vote is up so free time is at a premium.**

**See you later. And think less than 2 weeks left till magic! I find that being spoiler free makes you very optimistic**

**Baby rose  
**


	15. Drabbles pt 3

**And here's part three, I'm renaming the chapters to the parts because it's easier for everyone.**

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Drabbles pt. 3

**Ceramics**

I came home to find her covered in mud attempting to scrub it off the tiles in the kitchen. Upstairs I could hear Bella playing in the bathtub. "Bones what happened in here?" she sat back and sighed before standing up.

"I came home to day to find your daughter out in the garden playing the mud making pots; apparently ceramics is her new hobby. Parker sent her outside to play and then didn't watch her, when Sam left to go to class." She sighed and wiped some of the mud from her face, before motioning to kitchen. "Needless to say she ran all over the kitchen before I could get her to go take a bath."

I kissed her. "You go take a shower I'll clean the rest of this up before dinner."

**Warrior**

They stand in a line listening to the orders shouted out by the drill instructor. The rain runs down their faces, faces that don't yet reflect the horrors that they will face in the coming years. Now they are a collection of young men anxious to serve their country. They aim to learn all they can to protect the nation that they love, and allow them to return to their families following their tour of duty. For now, their only goal is learn to be the best warrior they can be.

**Translation**

"I feel that after all we've been through…" she pause tilting her head in a way that indicates she's trying to phrase something in a way that he'll understand. He's trying to look at her and read her face while driving and there's just not enough time to discern what she's thinking with those glances.

Finally she continues, "That I experience increased levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, pheromones, and serotonin when it comes to you and our relationship."

Now he's just confused, and he glances over at her quickly to see if the answer is on her face, "Translation?" He requests.

She makes a face and takes a deep breath, "I love you."

**Sharpshooter**

He lies under a bush with his spotter thinking silently that this would be his last trip out as a sharpshooter, his last trip as an Army Ranger. He'd received his discharge papers yesterday, and his superiors had told him that after this last mission was completed he would be shipped state side.

Originally, he'd been upset, but that had lasted a few mere minutes when he realized that he was making it out with his life, something that not all of his friends had been so lucky to do, he felt relief. He'd heard from the FBI that he had a place at Quantico once he was discharged from military duty; it looked like he'd be taking that opportunity sooner than he thought. FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth had a different ring to it than Army Ranger Sergeant Seeley Booth did.

His spotter signaled that he was safe and should take the shot if possible. He focused down the scope lining up the shot perfectly before letting the bullet fly. He and his spotter were gone before anyone knew where the bullet came from.

Special Agent Seeley Booth is the next stop.

**Fish**

A couple sat on a rocky outcropping in the lake both holding fishing poles watching the sunset. They looked so peaceful and happy sitting up there silhouetted by the sunset. That was until the women shrieked. "Booth! I think I caught one."

He laughed reaching over to help her. "When reel her in then Bones."

"But I don't actually want to catch a fish I thought this was just an excuse to come out her and watch the sunset." She complained.

He was grinning at her and took the fishing poll from her. "Well that aside we need to reel it in and her free Bones."

She sighed and pouted a little bit. "Okay, okay give it here I did catch it I should release it myself."

**Math**

"So I've been doing the math…" Angela walked into my office waving a folder around expecting my attention to already be on her.

I save my file and turn to face her; I had a feeling that whatever this was it would be good. "And what math is it that you're doing Angela?"

She stopped in front of my desk, "Well you and Booth have been working together for 6 years as partners and have know each other for what seven years or so now."

"We've been partners for 6 years today actually. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"Well you are a genius and you still haven't figured out that he's in love with you and you're in love with him. That seems like fairly basic math and yet I've had to do it for you." She folded her arms across her chest.

I smiled and glanced at my watch realizing that I was running late. "Listen Ange I need to go as fascinating as this is." I stood collecting my coat and bag.

"Go where?" She questioned.

"Booth's taking me out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary."

She sighed and started to walk with me towards the exit, "This is what I'm talking about, you to going out on date, and pretending it's just a partner thing."

At the doors I turned to her, "Ange this is a date we're celebrating our one month anniversary as a couple. It appears that your math is a little of since it took us less than seven years to figure it out." And I left her standing in the entrance to the lab.

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**Please review. I really love it when you do.**

**Babyrose  
**


	16. Drabbles pt 4

**Thanks to those of you for your constant reviews and to those of you that are just reading I appreciate you to. On with the collection.**

**By the way I still don't own them  
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Drabbles Pt 4

**Gun**

Gun, where is my gun, I groped in the dark for the gun to answer the pounding in the darkness of my room. Who on earth is pounding on my door at 4am. Finally, my hand collides with the cold metal of the gun and I made sure it was loaded making my way to the door hoping to send the unwanted visitor away and returning to bed as quickly as possible.

When I opened the door to Bones needless to say I was shocked. I didn't have a chance to get the words out because she launched herself into my arms. "I just had to make sure you were alive" is all she said, as the gun clattered to the floor.

**Dirt **

We'd retrieved they body and sat down in the tailgate of the truck while she ate the sandwich I'd saved for her when she'd refused to break for lunch. She was smiling and laughing as I told her how I'd stopped on of the new techs from getting in her way and I'd had to physically restrain him eventually because he was so insistent that he knew exactly what was going on.

She smiled and wiped her cheek with her cheek with the back of her hand smudging dirt across her jaw. I smiled and didn't even think as I reached up and wiped away the dirt my palm pausing on her cheek as she leaned into it. She looked at me with her big glittering blue eyes and asked, "Are you ever going to just kiss me?"

**Pie**

I glanced at the directions again "lay the apples inside the pie crust," it read. Ok this can't be too hard I just have to spread them inside the piecrust, nothing to difficult about that. Except there's no way all of these apples were going to fit. I resigned myself to putting them in piece by piece in order to make maximum use of the space. When that was done, I finally was able to put the top crust on and slide the whole thing into the oven.

I clean up the mess of flour left behind and changed into clothes more suitable for dinner, ones that weren't covered in flour, when the doorbell rang. I opened it up to a smiling Booth holding to bags of take out. "Happy Birthday!" I told him taking the bags and walking into the kitchen to serve them.

He followed me, "Thanks Bones, what's that delicious smell?" He made a show of sniffing the air.

"Apple Pie." I answered ladling out the food.

"You bought me a pie for my birthday even though you don't like pie?" He looked confused.

"No I made a pie from scratch for your birthday." I turned handing him a plate.

"You made me a pie?! Its official I love you." He proclaimed, I looked at him a little confused.

"Love might be over the top Booth it's a pie, and it's your birthday so you should get to eat what you want even if I don't like it."

He set his plate down on the counter and took mine doing the same. "Nope Bones you made me a pie even though you don't like pie. I love you." Then he kissed me soundly on the lips.

Before releasing me and walking into the leaving room leaving me standing shocked in the kitchen until the timer on the pie beeped.

**Pony **

"Daddy I want a pony for Christmas." My little girl looked at me in the middle of summer with sun block smeared on her nose, ringlets tied in pigtails, trapped by her goggles, and her water wings on as she was preparing to jump into the pool.

"A pony!" I exclaimed, there was no way she was getting a pony ever, even for Christmas. "And why do you want a pony?" I scooped her up and carried her to the pool.

"So he can be my best friend." Was all she managed to say before I dunked her in the pool. Fortunately, the entire conversation was forgotten as she played in the water.

When we got home though the pony idea resurfaced, I'd sent Bella upstairs to take a bath and wandered into the kitchen to find Bones on her computer, "How was the pool?"

"Good Bella wants a pony for Christmas." I told her.

She looked at me for a moment, "We could do that."

"Bones we are not getting her a pony. She's four she doesn't need a pony!"

**Duck**

She saw their attacker raise his gun to shoot Booth just in time, "Duck!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, unconcerned with the attackers reaction only worried that she was to late as she heard the gun fire. Before the gun man turned on her leveling the gun's barrel to take a shot at her chest. She was faster, and the sound of the bullet as it released from the chamber echoed through the room as their assailant fell to the ground blood oozing from the entry in his forehead.

She was unconcerned about the gunmen now she ran to find her partner not knowing if he'd been hit or her warning had come in time. Making her way around the table she found him clutching his shoulder, the bullet had barely grazed him as a result of her warning rather than piercing his heart.

"Thanks Bones" He breathed standing up.

**Brain**

My brain searches frantically for a solution that wont make me cry. I realize that it can really be the end, we've already been promised more. But that doesn't allow my brain to stop my stomach from clenching in reaction and to prevent tears from flowing. My brain starts to rationalize, Brennan would be proud, it tells me that there's more that they can't let it go like that, that they won't leave us hanging like that.

In the end I settle on the fact that they probably will leave it like that, just leave us hanging, but they put it right when everything gets going again.

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**So please review if there's one you really liked tell me and after their done once the show picks back up or this summer after school gets out.**


	17. Drabbles pt 5

**Alrighty he's another set of drabbles I just wanted to let you know that some of the future ones are reactions to the spoiler that I read. Those are the same spoilers that convinced me to stop reading the spoilers. So I apologize in advance if they are a.) incorrect b.) if any of you have been spoiler free longer than I have and this ruins it for you.**

**Still don't own them, but when I post this will have little less than a week until new episodes!**

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Drabbles Pt 5

**Bullet**

They'd been fighting and everything was going downhill. Their relationship had deteriorated so rapidly that it was literally unreal. They were both furious at each other, they couldn't stand to be in the same room as the other one let alone work on a case. All because of that dam book and so, they were both leaving, indefinitely. That was before a bullet slammed into his chest as he pursued the suspect fuming at her all the while.

They were back in the exact same place they were a year ago he was unconscious in the hospital bed only this time it wasn't from a brain tumor. His consciousness returned before he opened his eyes bringing him images of what had happened and where their relationship was headed. He didn't want to ask the question because he was afraid of the answer but eventually he couldn't wait any longer, "Bones" he asked the room without opening his eyes.

It felt like an entirety it might have been hours for all he knew but he didn't open his eyes, because if he didn't see she wasn't there then he could go to sleep and maybe the last two years will have all been a dream.

And then the answer came, "Booth" it was a relieved sigh from the one person he needed it from. "You were in a drug induced coma following your operation…" I could feel her moving closer, grasping my hand, "They couldn't risk atheistic to remove the bullet that was lodged in your lung." A sob, "I didn't know if you were going to wake up."

At that, my eyes flew open she had to know that I was awake. Our eyes locked and she shuddered, "I can't lose you Booth… I love you."

**Librarian**

It was the glasses that did it for him, it's why he kept going back to the library my senior year of high school. The new librarian wasn't a day over twenty-five but he had these glasses that just made her look so strict and sexy all at once.

So when he came downstairs to find the love of his life with her hair tied up and those ridiculous glasses on and he immediately went to back to the memory of that librarian, "Alright what I want you to do know Bones is take off the glasses and shake out your hair and say, 'Now Mr. Booth do you know the fine for an overdue book?'"

**Ruby**

Forty years together, officially, as a couple she hadn't thought that they were going to make it four years when they were young. But here they were celebrating this anniversary with their family grand kids running around the garden, Parker grilling, Hodgins teaching the older boys about the different bugs, the middle generation chatting about schools and summer vacations. It made her smile, particularly when he slipped an arm around her and handed her a box. Inside was a set of ruby earrings, "Happy Anniversary Bones." He whispered before he kissed her cheek and looked out at the crowd that was their family.

**Casket**

The mahogany shone in the sun mocking her grief as she stood at the funeral that she didn't even want to be at, for her partner. It mocked everything about their relationship; it was so final it wasn't fair he was taken so soon by a bullet that was meant for her.

It was then that the casket was knocked over revealing a dummy inside, meaning that this casket wasn't final, that he wasn't dead. A casket would never be the end for them.

**Platform **

He watches her when she's on the platform where she's in her element. She directs the lab around her and studying the bones in front her. It was where she belonged, in this stainless steel monstrosity of lab where she was queen. He didn't find her here but her was definitely, where she belongs which is why he was going to propose on that platform in ten minutes. Angela was getting them all onto the platform as he waited.

Eventually they were all there and he strode up to her interrupting her study of this particular set of remains and asked the one question that he didn't already know her answer to.

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**I would like to hear what you thought on these. More to come before April 1st. See you later.**

**Baby rose  
**


	18. Drabbles pt 6

**And here's some more drabbles for my friends. Let me just throw out there that this is fairly silly collection of drabbles but I like them I feel that they are befiting my excitement that new episodes begin in a week!**

**Still don't own bones**

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Drabbles Pt 6

**Wine **

Waiters poured the wine, and set food in front of us moving quietly and unobtrusively through the crowd making every moment count, as people were making toast in our honor. I sipped the one glass of wine I was allowing myself that evening, not believing that this was in fact of us. Everyone was here because of us, because they loved us and as so many others had put it, finally.

It hit me when she slipped her hand into mine and I looked her, a vision in her dress as she pulled me out onto the floor for our first dance.

**Superhero**

I clipped the cape on making sure if flowed behind me appropriately before heading down stairs to find my girls to go trick or treating. It was the first time Bella was going to be big enough to remember it and so I wanted to make it special. What's more special than Wonder Woman and Superman taking you trick or treating?

I got down stairs to find Bones with her computer in her lap and witch hat balanced on her head. "Hey where's Wonder Woman?" instead of Bones answering Bella came running out of the kitchen. "Here I am!" sure enough she was a miniature Women Woman.

"She wanted to be Wonder Woman this year, and Parker is going out with friends instead of having them here so he can't hand out the candy so I'm going to have stay but I figured that Wonder Woman and Superman could go together."

**Pudding**

I love chocolate pudding, its creamy and chocolaty, and well amazing. As a kid I could never get enough of it. I would get it at school whenever I could and I would convince mom to make it when dad wasn't on a drinking binge and when Pops took us in he would make it at least once a week.

I didn't think that there was any better way to consume pudding than as a snack when you got home from work. But my friends I have been corrected the best way to consume pudding is off of her skin.

**Holster**

"Dad look I'm an F.B.I agent just like you." My four year old stated as he ran into the living room with my gun holster on his shoulders. The holster need less to say was a little big on him as the back flapped around his ankles. "I think that your still a little small for my holster"

He pouted, "But dad I want to be a F.B.I. agent too!" he whined at me. "I know you do but your going to have to grow up a little bit first" He still looks upset.

The next weekend I presented him with his own very own toy gun holster I'd found at Toys R' US and gave him a loaded squirt gun. The look in his eyes was priceless.

**Domino**

The first domino fell creating the chain reaction. It came in the form of a book which forced them to recount they're first case together. That domino fell into yet another one which forced them to acknowledge their own relationship. Another domino fell when they dated others.

They just kept falling, one after the other making a steady click as they fell into the next one coming to rest. All steps that can't be taken back or over looked because it's pasts and you have to deal with the consequences and where those domino's fell.

But in the end your stuck waiting wondering if that last domino is going to fall or if it withstand the pressure of all the others collapsing around it and survive or if it too will fall bringing everything you have worked for too an end.

**Pirate**

"En garde!" Parker yelled brandishing his plastic sword at this father. Booth pulled the eye patch over his eye and raised his own sword. The two Booth men held their stance for just a moment before a vicious sword fight began. Both of them flinging the pieces of plastic back and forth mimicking the sword fights that they'd seen on TV and in the movies.

She stood in the door frame clutching the pizza watching them lash out at each other, the elder Booth clearly allowing the younger one to make more touches than he should have. She couldn't help it as a giggle escaped her. Both boys stop momentarily eying her and the pizza carefully before Parker stabbed his father in the chest and yelled, "I killed you!" Dropping his weapon to the floor he ran to her and grabbed the pizza from her, "Which means I get the first slice of pizza." And he disappeared with the food into the kitchen. Booth came over to her taking her purse and setting it on side table, wrapping his arms around her waist. "That's OK because I got the pirate queen." He kissed her soundly, "Thanks for bringing dinner Bones."

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**Silly hun. Alright I'll be seeing you later.**

**Babyrose  
**


	19. Drabbles pt 7

**Here are a few more to tickle your brain. Still don't own them**

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Drabbles Pt 7

**Redemption**

We all do things that throw our relationships into a tail spin. If those relationships are strong enough though they will not falter, in they end they will stay strong. You will have to seek redemption, and you will have to work to regain their trust and your relationship will change invariably. For the better usually, your relationship will have more depth and more understanding between the two of you because you've been through it now and should you face the situation again you know what will happen.

But in order for your relationship to move passed this horrific incident that feels like it will pull you apart permanently, even though you know it's not possible you have to say the two words that you hate having to say, "I'm sorry." You're sincere in your apology and your hands fall to your sides as you hope that the apology will redeem the relationship that you'd thought you'd broken.

He sighs and looks at you from inside his apartment. There's silence for a few moments before he grabs you and pulls you into his chest, his hands running up and down your back. "I know you are Bones" And your heart sighs with relief that you've managed to redeemed yourself.

**Bathtub**

The smell of death clings to your skin sometimes when you come home. In the lab it doesn't bother you. A combination of the advanced air circulation technology to keep smells to a minimum and the fact that the lab is where she gives life to death, where she puts a face on death and a person with what was once a human, allows her to ignore the scent that clings to human life forms.

But when she finally makes it home at the end of the day the scent follows; sometimes as an uncomfortable reminder of the horrors the world, when that happens there is only one solution. So you fill the bathtub with scorching hot water followed by scented bath salts and bubbles. You pull off your clothes slowly and then you slide into the water and relax as the scents wash way the horrors of your job. You allow yourself to remember the relief of the family when you tell them that you've caught the man that killed their daughter and the satisfaction you get when you watch Booth slap the cuffs on the murder.

**Fingerprint**

The first time you knew that maybe he was right about everything was when he gently placed a hand on your back and pulled you into him as you repeated your name out loud to the barn that was now empty except for the two of you. His finger prints seared through your clothes and they marked his place in your life and in your heart for eternity.

It would take several more years for those finger prints to follow through on the promises that they made all those years ago but every time his hand came to rest on you those fingerprints seared their way through every barrier you'd erected reminding you that in the end there was no use in fighting it because those finger prints had branded you as his years ago.

**Phalange**

You sat in the court room facing the one person that had gotten the drop on both of you. At the defense table sat the women responsible for trapping you in a car with Hodgins trying to suffocate you, and for placing him on a ship to be sunk.

It was the first time that you were going to testify about something that happened to you and not on the factual evidence it was the first time you were going to tell your own story to the court room. The very thought had you more nervous than anything else.

But despite the fact that you're relationship had been on tense ground for a few weeks now with the imminent decision of forward or backwards looming, he still knew how to comfort you as he slid his hand into yours. Slipping his fingers between yours allowing your phalanges to intertwine as he squeezed your hand in a reassuring manner.

**Philistine**

He'd tried so hard to come up with a story that would sufficiently met the requirements for a story of embarrassment. And so far he had failed absolutely miserably, everything was in relation to how he succeed with a girl. Really it was endearing how desperately he wanted to be even with her that he would go to any lengths to come up with something.

So as they sat at their table in the diner and he told her the story she had to give me a pass because clearly this was the most embarrassing thing that he could come up with and he'd come with that brainy smurf figurine and charmed her telling her that she was so much more than Smurfette because she had her beauty and her brains. She had to forgive him how could she not. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to fulfill the parameters that she was looking for but he still found away to make her feel better about the whole incident proving once again that she really does need his presence in her life.

**Dolphin**

They lay in the grass on the side of a hill after the last case he hauled her out of the lab. At first she'd protested something about remains for Interpol that needed to be classified but the protests didn't last long as she gathered her things and followed him out of lab.

She was silent for once, only once asking where they we're going before contenting herself with looking out the window allowing him to be alone with his thoughts as she watched the world flit by. Urban areas turned into forests and low rolling hills, but she didn't ask him where they were going.

Eventually the pulled into a dirt parking lot, he shut of the engine of the truck climbed out and went round to pull something out of the trunk before joining her in front of the car. He took her hand and guided her through a dark forest until the came out onto a clearing on the side of a hill. Spreading the blanket on the ground and laid down. "Come here Bones" he motioned to the spot beside him. She laid down next to him and looked up at the stars. "I just thought we could use reminding that there is more out their besides murder and mayhem." He sighed.

The lay admiring the stars for a few minutes before she raised her arm and pointed, "Look its Delphinus."

Following her arm to the constellation in the sky he found the four stars, "Your mom would have been proud of you."

"Booth my mother passed away years ago it is impossible for her to be proud of me for anything I've accomplished since she died."

"Bones she's up there watching over you." He emphasized the last word with a gentle pat to her arm. "Believe me she's proud of you."

Silence stole over them again briefly, before she asked, "Do you really thing so?"

"I know so Bones, I know so."

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**Thoughts? They're always appreciated. Hint Hint Wink Wink. **

**There's one more of these left for me to post before they are all up.**

**Less than a week until Bones is official back in our lives. Is anyone else excited? Next Thursday can't come quick enough.**

**Babyrose  
**


	20. Drabbles pt 8

**Here's the last of the drabbles, from here all go back to one shots when time allows. If you want more drabble collection's I'm totally up them but you'll have to give me some words to bases them on. Now some where along the way my count got off and I have 8 drabbles in this one, but I'm sure you don't mind. Some of these are silly, some are happy others are meaningful and then there's that pesky last one that I chose to round these off with. I'll say more about it at the end.**

** I still don't own these wonderful characters or the general premise I just borrow them and play around in the world that they've created**.

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Drabbles pt 8

**Glasses**

"I do not need glasses." She repeated stubbornly for the third time in ten minutes, "My vision is just fine, I just need to hold the paper a little further away and it all comes into focus."

He was frustrated now, "Bones!... you're holding the paper as far away from you as you can get it and your squinting. Just relax there is nothing wrong with needing reading glasses, now will you just try these on and see if it helps."

"Booth it's fine I can hold them out their if I want to what difference does it make to you?"

"Bones, you read way too much for that to be OK…. Hold still would you?!... And the difference it makes to me is that I wont have witness you looking ridiculous trying to read things at an absurd distance… Ah there we go." He finally managed to slide the glasses onto her face. "They're actually kinda sexy on you Bones."

She frowned at him making the glasses all the more endearing. Before picking up the article she'd been trying to read and holding it at a regular distance to discover all the words in focus. Silently she got up and went to look at herself in the mirror, while he held his breath hoping she wasn't going to explode.

She merely shrugged, "Well I guess I needed reading glasses. Thank you for making me at least try them Booth." And then she promptly picked up the article she'd been reading, leaving him only mildly flabbergasted at her sudden shift in direction.

**Cigar**

"One for the father," a cigar was placed in his hand. "One for the grandfather, one for the uncle, one for the great grandfather, and one for the crazy uncle Hodgins" Hodgins finished passing out the cigars to the men standing in a circle in the hospital parking lot. The cigars were lit and the men inhaled deeply.

"To you Mr. Special Agent, congratulations on the birth of your daughter." He smiled and inhaled again, "The only occasion that ever warrants these things." The men laughed and made bets on how long it would be before Brennan realized that the baby wasn't really going to stick to her schedule.

"Well thanks for the cigar Hodgins but I should probably get inside before Bones wakes up. Do you guys want to come look at Bella in the nursery?" He asked almost giddy with anticipation of seeing his daughter. The men made various excuses for leaving taking off into the night promising to return in the morning to see the baby and mom when they were both more up to it. So he made is way up to his wife's room again by himself, stopping the doorway when he realized that she was holding the infant. He stood there content to watch for a while before he disturbed the beautiful silence.

**Line**

Line's compose everything. They create shape and define boundaries, they are the essence of every three dimensional thing. Slowly we push and pull at the lines that have created the boundaries and walls between you until they seem to be all but non-existent. For a long time your content for the shadows of what used to be lines appear to define a boundary that has long been gone.

But all it takes is one cataclysmic event for the line to appear again. This time it appears to be thicker darker and heavier, more immovable and there seems to be no way around that line any more.

But here's the funny thing about lines, they're just a little bit less substantial the next time they get thrown up. At first it doesn't seem like it but the truth is that they have more holes the pick at and more ways over or through the line than there were in the original line. So as daunting as the rebuilt line is, the truth of the matter is that this line is even easier to tear down.

**Tattoo**

You wake to the tattoo of rain on the windows, you don't open your eyes just yet as you listen to the steady beat provided by mother nature. Inhaling deeply you realize that the room smell like her and then the entire comes flooding back. You internally groan at the memories of pealing off her clothes and devouring her in a drunken stupor. How could you have been so stupid to allow that to happen.

Now afraid to open your eyes you reach over to the other side of the bed feeling to see if she's over there or if she'd vanished while you were sleeping. The beds not yet cold so's been gone only for a few minutes, you realize that it was probably her leaving that woke you and not the tattoo of rain. Withdrawing your hand from the side of the bed she just vacated you run it over your face, keeping your eyes closed wishing it all to be another dream when your realize that you can smell coffee coming from the kitchen.

Now your hoping that this is real life, and when you hear a creak of your floor boards between the kitchen and your room, you hold your breath briefly. Slowly opening your eyes you find her walking into the room wearing nothing but your shirt from yesterday. She sets the cup of coffee down on your bed stand along with two Advil before walking around to her side of the bed, there's no question it's already hers.

She climbs back under the covers with her newspaper and coffee planting a quick kiss on his lips, "I brought you coffee and some anvil in case you have a hangover from all the drinking we did last night." Then she opened the paper and began to read sipping on her coffee.

Suddenly the tattoo of rain on your windows was the most magical sound of all because she was still with you.

**Truth**

The truth… that was all that he needed to hear… that was all she needed to tell him. The truth would set her free… the truth would set them both free. They'd been avoiding it for years and when they'd finally been confronted about it, they lied to themselves, to each other and to everyone around them.

The tension which at one time had been bearable was now completely unbearable. They'd lied because it was what was necessary at the time, or at least that was what they'd believe. And yet instead of catching a cab to the airport like she should have she was in her own car driving towards the FBI building where the army was picking him up after he turned in his government issued car.

She spotted him standing on the corner of the in front of the build with his bags packed talking to a man in military uniform. She pulled into a parking space that was available and was out of the car before the radio had even turned off. "Booth!" she yelled running across the street, with no regard for the traffic, as he turned to her.

She hit the sidewalk feet away from, and she stopped in her tracks before remember the truth would set her free and until she told him the truth she couldn't go anywhere.

**Egg**

The egg was a pastel purple on the bottom and hot pink on top. It rattled when she picked it up wondering who on earth this could possibly thought to but this on her desk. She sat down and opened the plastic egg spilling jelly beans every where and a small piece of paper that read, "Happy Easter Bones!" She smiled knowing exactly who was trying to engage her in the holiday. It was the same man that had been asking her to take him and Parker to the White House egg hunt she'd been invited to this year.

Putting most of the jelly beans back into the egg and scooping the remaining few into her mouth a smile bloomed on her face. Maybe she would take them, after all it wasn't like he was dragging her to Easter mass. Just as she was about to call him and let him know when she spotted him walking in to the lab with a bouquet of daffodils.

Maybe she would let him be silly and get her more spring and Easter things in an attempt to convince her.

**Family**

Family, they were family. He'd told her that more than once that they were family all of them. And yet they seemed to be the ones falling apart breaking up the family. They were the ones going in opposite directions leaving the family, just like her family had done to her years before.

Only this time her family were constantly around her giving her unwanted advice about exactly what she should be doing. She didn't know for certain but she was fairly sure that they were doing the same thing to both him. She found it annoying but in the back of her head she could hear him telling her that that's what family's do: prevent you from making the biggest mistake of your life.

As much as she didn't want to hear that voice it keep getting louder, along with her families protests that what she was doing was wrong kept growing louder and louder. Eventually she couldn't stop herself from listening to them and turning back to go find him only to discover that he was chasing after her.

"Bones you can't go you're my family." Was all he managed to tell her before she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

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**Well there they are. As for that last one it's a reaction to the spoilers that made me stop reading spoilers and continue in the bliss of the unknown. But here's the thing we get it: if things get tough between Booth and Brennan, she runs to some far and unknown place to play with bones millions of years old. So Booth better not let her run this time otherwise... well i'll still keep watching but seriously enough already chase her down.**

**This very well will be my last post before the first given the pile of work that I need to get done between now and then, so thanks for reading and every one have a wonderful April Fools day because i'm not going to lie this is the first time I've been excited for the day in years. **

**Also a brief reminder because we have new episodes there will but updates to _Sublimated Attractions_ coming weekly and i'm just going to guess that they might be kind of intense as we've been told that these next episodes will deal with their relationship. **

**So if nothing else i'll see you over there.**

**Babyrose  
**


	21. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

**Sorry it's been a while, school sucks sometimes. Anyway here is my last one-shot before the 100th. It's based on the promo pictures and you know the ones I'm talking about. I realize the episode already aired in Canada but the rest of us have to wait.**

**Now according to word this is exactly 1000 words, the count on the chapter is longer, because of other things. So read on. **

**I don't own bones if i did I would have been at the party this evening and would know how the season ends, as much as I would like that I'm stuck in suspense with the rest of you.**

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

"Sometimes I think not following you was the biggest mistake of my life." He said quietly as they descended the stairs of the Hoover building to walk to the metro.

She just stopped on the stairs and looked at him. In the course of recounting the tale of their first case, she had known that they had dredged up some emotions that had been forgotten and had brought to the surface ones that had been boiling below the surface for months now. She should've expected him to bring it up as soon as he could, but part of her had hoped that he wouldn't and they could slide back into the comfortable place they had been in until this morning.

He went down a few more steps before he realized that she stopped. "Bones?" He asked worried, climbing back up the steps.

"What do you mean?" her brain whirling, trying to find the possibility that fit best into the context of their day, she just couldn't seem to make anything fit.

Quickly his hands shot out and rested on her waist trying to calm her. "Just that if I had followed you we might be in a really different place."

Confusion became more pronounced with that statement, "Do you not like where we are now?"

He was angry with himself now why couldn't he communicate it to her properly. "Bones where we are now is great, you're my best friend, my partner, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if I had followed you that night…" He trailed off as comprehension seemed to dawn in her face, even though her eyes looked worried.

"You think that if you'd followed me we might be in a committed romantic relationship instead of being friends?" She was still trying to make the puzzle pieces fit.

"Well yeah." He shrugged squeezing her waist a little bit, as fear came back into her eyes.

"Is what we have not enough?" Now he was making everything worse and he's kicking himself mentally for mentioning it.

She brought her hands up to his chest as if she was trying to determine what his heart was saying. He shook his head briefly, lowering his head to capture her gaze with his own. "What we have is great Bones, but don't you ever wonder what would be like if there was more?"

Silence. A few cars drove by and they both felt like it was any eternity before she finally gathered the courage to simply ask, "More what?"

She broke his heart, she just looked so sad and venerable, and he didn't know what to do besides answer the question that in his heart he almost wished she hadn't asked. "More to us than just partners and friends. I don't know. Just sometimes I wish there was more." She looked up at him with her clear blue eyes sparkling and he decided to just go for it.

He leaned in and brushed her lips with his, just like they had all those years ago. At first, she stood stock still, frozen in shock at what he really meant. Before she responded in kind slowly warming to him, allowing him access as he asked for it, marveling that he still had a minty fresh taste, along with coffee and something that was unmistakably Booth. And for a moment every thought left her brain and her heart took over.

As she responds to him, his heart swelled with hope and sheer joy. He always knew that she would taste better than pie, she did that first time all those years ago and now she tastes even better. So Bones, that any thoughts of this moment that he'd ever had were completely washed away in that moment because nothing was as good as the real thing.

That was until breathing became necessary and they both pulled back. The earth felt like it was playing catch up, all of the sudden every irrational thought came crashing back to her and she stepped back disengaging from him. His hands fell to his sides and he could see the look on her face that told him that this was all going horribly, horribly wrong.

This wasn't how he'd ever imagined this going, hell this wasn't how anyone ever imagined this going. She inhaled deeply never taking her eyes from him as she slid her hands into her pockets. She bit her lip in that tell tale sign that she doesn't know quite what to do, and know he wishes that they could take the whole day back, and have never gone to see Sweets about the book.

But it's too late for idle wishes so he has to play the cards he's been dealt, even though it seems his luck has turned.

She watched him knowing that he's waiting for her to say something that he's panicking on the inside afraid of what her reaction is going to be. And she knows as his hand goes into his pocket to play with the chip that he's cursing his luck because he can read her so well and he knows that this is not going to end the way either of them wants it to. But despite how much her heart is telling her to abandon everything and believe in the "happily ever after," she can't. Her brain remains the rational actor that tells her that if they go down this path then she may lose him, and that neither her heart nor her brain can tolerate.

She steels herself to say the words that will simultaneously break both their hearts and keep everything the way it belongs. Looking at those warm brown eyes, she tells him what she needs.

"Partners, Booth. We're partners." If he has any reaction, she doesn't see up because she turns and walks away.

The instant she'd pulled back he knew it was coming, so he let her go with those words. Unaware there was a tear rolling down her cheek.

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**Well what are your thoughts?**

**Happy 100 episodes every one, may their be many more to come.**

**Babyrose  
**


	22. Owe it all to You

**Here is one of what I'm sure will be many one-shots from myself and others surround the 100th. I loved it. I'm a little heart crushed but I loved it. **

**(I went through and made corrections, I'm sure I didn't get all the tiny little ones but I hope this is better. 4/10/10)  
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**I still don't own them.

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Owe It All To You

I walked into my apartment after what most probably was the worst day I've had since that first case. I took Sweets advice and I took a gamble and told her that I wanted more. And for a brief fleeting second I thought that maybe everything was going to be ok. But then she'd pulled away and told me that she couldn't do it, that she didn't want to hurt me because she couldn't do this.

I poured myself a scotch and collapsed on the couch staring blankly at the wall across from me, realizing that it had hurt her to tell me no as much as it had hurt her. When she asked me if we could still work together, I considered telling her that I didn't think that it would be possible, but as I looked at her pleading face, I knew that I couldn't tell her no, I never can. I had to tell her that I was going to have to move on, that I couldn't wait for her anymore.

She didn't even fight me on that which broke my heart; she just said, "I know" wiping the tears from her eyes. I wish I could have told her that I would wait for her for forever, but I need to at least make an effort to move forward. We stood and started walking down the plaza towards the capitol and the monument. She laced her arm through mine bringing her body as close to mine as she could and rested her head on my shoulder. I couldn't help myself I leaned into her, seeking comfort in her presence even though she had just rejected me.

We'd gone our separate ways on the train. She waved half heartedly as she transferred to the red line at metro center, a tear escaping the corner of her eye as the train doors closed and the train pulled away. I spent the rest of the ride trying to convince myself to move on, that maybe I wasn't that guy. That guy that knew she was it for me, that there was someone else out there for me.

I took a sip of the scotch only to decide that it wasn't what I needed and I left the glass on the table next to the couch and decided I might as well lay in bed if nothing else and attempt to sleep. I stood in the mirror and removed the gray suit, with a faint blue plaid pattern.

First I pulled out the the dice, poker chips, and lighter from my pocket that I keep to remind me of why I quit gambling. I stared at the items on my dresser for a long while as I realized that I quit gambling because of her. After that first case I actually went to my first gamblers anonymous meeting despite the fact that she wasn't working with me.

I slid the jacket from my shoulders and put it back into the closet marveling at the fact that I had more suits outside of regulation than within it now. I undid the tie and slowly pulled the silky material to return it to the collection of ties that I'd accumulated since that first case. I knocked one to the floor and bent down to retrieve it. It was the one with the pin up girl on the back, the first crazy tie that I'd ever worn.

I smiled to myself even though I could feel the tears welling up again. I removed the ostentatious belt buckle that she'd given me, and the socks I was wearing, just a little crazy. Everything that I used to overcome my gambling and rise to the top was because of her.

She was the one that encouraged me to find away to express myself, within the constraints of the FBI, and that was what had lead me to rise rapidly. Her instance that you have to get the facts and then you can catch the killer. That was what got me the corner office when Caroline moved to an office in the Department of Justice.

Everything that I am now, that I've striven to become was because of her, was for her. I owe all that I am to her.

I told her that I wanted to try give us a try, because I am the gambler I had to take that chance. I let her know that I was ready for this but she isn't and she afraid of what could be.

I gave up an addiction to gambling for another one. I'm not sure I can let that other one go.

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**There's the first one let me know what you thought**

**Baby rose  
**


	23. Wasn't Suppose to be this Way

**I was going to write more on the 100th but there's so many other ones out there that I decided to let the episode go. Maybe later I'll be inspired to write more for it, but for now I will let the other excellent writers take their turn with it.**

**I've moved on the the season finale, so fair warning this might be spoilery I have no idea what will really happen. Needless to say this one of what I'm sure will be many prediction of the end of season 5.**

**I won't be writing this if I owned it.**

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Wasn't Suppose to Be This Way

The terminal rumbles with activity there are people streaming by wrapped up in their own little world moving in their own directions concerned with their own future. The actions of those around them are none of their concern. A few are bored and are people watching, so they see the women sprinting down the terminal to make her connection, and the old couple wondering if their daughter will be there to meet them or if she's running late again, there's the family of four on their way to Disney land with the parents already stretched to the breaking point because of their children's bickering. Otherwise, the activities of the person next to them go unnoticed because in a world that has become more interconnected through technology it has also allowed us to be more isolated.

So no one seems to notice the man with an army duffel slung over his shoulder. He wearily walks toward his gate. His face carries the weight of the world, he looks as though has taken a turn that he wasn't expecting and he's trying to come to grips with it. The twenty-year-old waiting for her flight home from school watches with her headphones in wondering what on earth cause this gorgeous man to look so dejected and upset. He takes his seat in the waiting area looking over at the gate tapping his ticket in his hand, and checking his watch periodically willing time to go faster so that he can move on, be somewhere else that doesn't remind him so much of her.

The train speeds across the airport complex inside the little boy that's just learned how to read the map is very confused as the woman sitting next to him has a ticket that reads for terminal A but she's on a train speeding towards terminal D. She looks really upset, like his mom did when the dog died, so he doesn't interrupt her and tell her she's headed the wrong way he just sits quietly hoping that he didn't read her ticket right. He just watches her carefully holding tight to his father's hand as they excited the train at the terminal. The women he was watching ran out and into the terminal pausing briefly to figure out where she was before walking away and disappearing into the people.

The man sat impatiently waiting for his flight to be called, alternating between play with dice, flipping a poker chip, and tapping his foot. Finally, his flight was called, glancing briefly at the ticket he released another agitated sigh realizing that he was going to be in the last group to board. Eventually his turn came and he rose walking over the gate, wishing that he was days away from this in another place doing something else to just give him time and give him space to move on.

Of course, he was on the gate furthest from the train that would only be fair. She gave up trying to look like a normal person at the airport and was sprinting towards his gate. She got there just in time to see him getting in line to board the plane. Stopping trying to see determine if it was a good idea. Heart over brain was her final decision, "Booth!" she almost cried across the terminal. Only those that were people watching, to pass the time, notice that the distraught man now had a female counterpart. The college student that had noticed him early sat up in her chair closing her book in favor of whatever was about to happen.

He turned sighing and just looked at her. She looks defeated as she walks over to him. They just stand there for what seems like an eternity, to those that are watching, and even longer to them. She's not looking directly in his eyes but rather at some spot just over his shoulder. He eventually lifted a hand to her chin, "Bones… Bones look at me." Her eyes focused on him, "What are you doing here?"

"My flight…" she stutters, "It leaves in an hour. And you didn't say goodbye so I came to say goodbye… So Goodbye."

"Goodbye Bones." The words break his heart as he says them. He knows her though and he knows that that isn't it. "Was there something else Bones?"

She looks frightened for a moment before she finally asks, "You're going to be here when I get back? Right?" The last word is barely audible but he knows she said it.

He wants to tell her that he doesn't know that he's going to take this time to figure it out, and he is going take this time apart to figure some things out but he already knows he'll be coming back, he knew the moment she yelled his name. He pulls her to him and hugs her tight, whispers in her ear, "I'll be right here when you return from digging up your really old skeletons."

She releases him and steps back composure coming back into her body but not her eyes, there she only shows relief. "I just need this time to help me move on put a little distance between me and everything and do something different."

She nods seemingly to understand, "I get it Booth. I just wanted to say goodbye." She closes the gap between them again and kisses his cheek ever so lightly. "Have a safe trip," and like that she's gone disappearing into the crowds trying to make it back to her flight on time.

He momentarily is dazed before picking up the duffel that he'd dropped and making his away to the jet way handing over his ticket and walking slowly down towards the plane wiping away the one tear that managed to escape. This was going to be a hell of a lot harder than he ever thought it would be.

But maybe that's because it wasn't supposed to be this way.

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**Heart crushing I know but were not only getting one more season but season 7 is in the works too. So much more Booth and Brennan magic to come.**

**High school reunion tomorrow. I can't wait.**

**Baby rose  
**


	24. End of the Stalemate

**Alright my Bones friends now I realize that we're more than a weak from the 100th episode but having been listening and watching to a lot of people freaking out and losing faith, and particular mad at Brennan I was compelled to go back and explain what I believe was going through her head during those heart crushing moments, because maybe if you see how I see it then you might understand better. I think that all movement is progress not everything is happy and sunny all the time and sometimes you feel like you've been trod on but it will work out.**

**Onward with the story that isn't mine but really just my way of explaining what happened.**

**Just so you know I actually cried writing this it was harder to do than watching the scene so I apologize now.  
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End of the Stalemate

"One of you has to have the courage to break this stalemate… You, it's got to be you because you're the gambler." He pointed at Booth, "For once make that work for you." He challenged Booth. Fortunately, Booth didn't say anything we sat for a few seconds before he said that he could eat and it was the perfect excuse to make our exit from the office that had rather suddenly became much too small.

I was anxious leaving the building hoping that Booth wouldn't take that gamble because I don't think I can give him what he really needs, at least not yet but I don't want to lose him. I'm not sure that I would survive losing him.

Then he said it, "I'm the gambler…," and I looked at him hoping that he was just making a statement, but then he added, "I believe in giving this a chance. I wanna give this a shot." He looked so determined and serious, immediately I knew I couldn't ignore this so I attempted to clarify.

"You mean us?" when he nodded my anxiety sky rocketed and my brain kicked into overdrive trying to find a way to back down from this. "No." I shook my head, "The FBI won't let us work together…" I tried to rationalize our way out of what was surely impending disaster.

He wasn't going to let it go and I couldn't help but curse Sweets for telling him to do this now. He shook his head, "Don't do that, that is no reason…"

And then his lips were on mine and every rational thought was gone, and for a moment I wanted to believe that everything that he had ever told me about love and relationships was possible and that I was capable of them.

But then every thought came back and I had to stop everything, my heart beating rapidly I pushed away from him. "No! No!" I fought tears and hit his chest, wondering how everything got so out of control so quickly.

"Why? Why?" He asked, I could hear in his voice that I was hurting him.

I don't want to hurt him though, and if I left this go any further we're both are only going to get hurt even more. "You… you thought that you were protecting me, but you're the one that needs protecting."

"Protecting? From what?" he asks struggling to follow my thought process.

"From me I…" I stuttered trying to get this out, "I don't have your kind of open heart." I don't want to hurt him ever again because to watch his face as I told him this was too painful for me.

"Just … give it a chance that's all I'm asking." He pleaded.

I gave him my reasoning, something that was rational and he'd sad it himself something that he couldn't contest. "No, you said it yourself the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome." As much I don't want to admit it, I've been left behind too many times and I don't think that if he left I would make it.

"Well, then let's go for a different outcome, here! All right, let's … just hear me out, right? You know when you talk to older couples who, you know, have been in love for thirty or forty, or fifty years, all right? It's always the guy who says, 'I knew.' I knew, right from the beginning"

"You're evidence is anecdotal." Was my only response.

"I'm that guy. Bones, I'm that guy! I know." I can tell that he does know and that he believe it with every thing he has, but I'm not ready to take that leap, I don't know if I'll ever be able to.

"I… I am not a gambler. I'm a scientist. I can't change! I don't know how… I don't know how." He wants this so badly and I'm so afraid that it it won't work. His face shows that I'm ripping out his heart and feels worse than terrible. "Please don't look so sad." I plead now, it hurts so much.

He falters and backs away from me tears pooling in his eyes. "All right, okay." He sighs as he settled against the sign a tear escaping. "You're right. You're right." He repeats. I certainly don't believe him right now. I want to give him everything we both want but I'm so afraid that everything could change and that he could not love me in thirty, or forty, or even fifty years and I would never be able to handle that.

But I can't really lose him and so I ask the one thing that I knew was going to be hard for him to give me. "Can we still work together?"

He studies for me I'm so afraid that he'll tell me he can't but eventually he said, "Yeah." He wiped away the tears that I'd caused."

"Thank you." I look at the ground afraid of what comes next.

And then he told me the one thing that I knew he needed but I didn't really want to hear. "But I gotta move on. You know, I gotta find someone who… who's gonna love me in… in thirty years, or forty, or fifty."

"I know." I admit aware that the stalemate is over and that he's going to try and move on while I keep loving him. But I would rather have him as a friend forever, as oppose to losing him as a lover one day. So I just push of the sign and wipe the tears away as I wait for him to join me.

As we walked down the plaza arm and arm, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly I had just turned down.

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**It hurt her two and think that's the point. Neither one of them said "I love you" but they clearly meant it, and that in itself was a giant leap forward if you ask me so I was happy with it.**

**The next one shot I have is going to be a tag from this weeks episode, but you'll have to wait to see it. **

**For know please tell me what you thought, I'm begining to think that you've all dropped off the planet, you don't have to I just like it when you do.**

**Baby Rose  
**


	25. What Have I Done

**It's a short but I think that it plays well with the 100th even if it's a tag for 101. Still not mine.**

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What Had I Done?"

With the exception of going to England, and our very first traveling case, we've always shared a room and quiet often we've shared a bed. It was one of those things that we've never discussed but just always done it. It was usually the upside of these trips, I don't get to be in the lab working directly with the remains, but I get to sleep in the same bed as Booth without a fight or any talk of relationships.

But not this time, because I stopped him, and us from going forward because I was afraid of what could be. So this time we were in my hometown, where I was always considered a loser, my parents left, and my brother left, I was alone in a room laying up in a bed looking up at the ceiling wondering if I would ever be able to get to sleep, because this time he's not next to me.

Throughout the whole case, he seemed to be fine until I asked him to dance with me during the Seal song and then he panicked, and when he caved and agreed to dance with me, he held me at a distance looking everywhere but at me.

When I told him it was like the prom that I never had, he just pulled me closer and danced with me. For the millionth time this week, I questioned: "what had I done?"

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**Are you out there?**

**Baby Rose  
**


	26. I'm Still That Guy

**I've decided that I'm tired of writing the upsetting angsty fics that the last few episodes have generated so I decided to write something happier. It's set in the future and is a happy ending so hopefully I bring a smile to your face and make you forget what the shows actual writers are doing to us right now, if only for a moment. **

**There still not mine I'm just playing with them.**

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I'm Still that Guy

"Come here" She tugged on my arm gently.

"Where are we going Bones?" I asked her quizzically. We were in the middle of an investigation, and I had been tossing around theories to her as we walked to the Diner from the Hoover. But it didn't seem like she was paying any attention, instead she was focused on getting me to go in the opposite direction of lunch.

"You'll see. Just come with me." She smiled a little mischievously and extended her hand waiting for me to take it. Which I did, she automatically laced her fingers between mine. And then picked up on my theory that I had just been floating as if she hadn't changed our direction at all.

We walked for a couple of minutes talking about possibilities for the case when she turned into a store. I lost all coherent thought for a moment, it was a jewelry store, and all I could think that there were thousands of glittering stones, I mean thousands. Being taken into a store by a woman that doesn't really enjoy wearing glittering stones as jewelry, who normally wears more quirky earthy things, was taking me out of my element. "Bones what are you doing?" I hissed into her ear as she bent over a case examining a collection of rings.

She stood up looking at me with a smile, "Shopping Booth what does it look like I'm doing?" She went back to looking the rings.

"It looks like you're ring shopping Bones."

She didn't look up again at me she just nodded examining a ring and asking the sales person if she could see it. "I am. Go look around, see if there's anything you like." I stared at her for a minute before wondering away to go look at one case in particular.

I'd been to this particular jewelry store at least three times in the last two months to look at this one particular. It was the ring that kept drawing me back to this particular store. The band was platinum with two sapphires with a diamond in-between, not completely flat yet it wouldn't catch on her gloves. There was just something about this ring was perfect, for her but I hadn't bought it. It was outside of my price point at this time, and well there was no point to buying a ring for someone that didn't want to get married anyway.

I looked down at this particular ring trying to puzzle out if I'd told anyone at the lab about this ring. I didn't think I had, I remembered telling Parker at some point, but Bones hadn't spent any time with him in a while because conflicting schedules.

I was broken out my revere when she slipped her arm through mine and rested her chin on my shoulder. "Can we see that one, a size seven please?" She politely told the sales person who quickly opened the drawer and pulled one out setting it on the velvet cloth. She released my arm and slipped the ring on to her left hand ring finger. "It's beautiful." She admired it for a moment at a distance. "What do you think, Booth?" She looked at me patiently.

I closed my mouth, she was wearing a ring on her ring finger, "It's gorgeous Bones," I slipped my arm around her waist, and then whispered in her ear, "What are you doing Bones?"

She didn't answer me though she looked at her hand one more time before looking back at the sales man, "Does this have a matching band that will go with it?" He nodded. "Then it's perfect."

She pulled the ring off her finger and handed it back to him. "I'll take it. Can you put it in a box please?" Then she opened her purse and pulled out her wallet patiently waiting for him to ring it up.

I squeezed her waist, "Bones what are you doing?" I asked nearly panicking. She handed him her credit card.

"I'm buying a ring Booth, what does it look like?" She signed the slip for him.

"I can see that, why are you buying a ring?" She straightened up and took the box walking out of the store.

I caught up with her on the sidewalk as she fumbled to pull her sunglasses out of her purse while holding the jewelry box.

"Bones what was that all about?" I demanded.

Sliding her glasses on and she looked at me. "You tell me," She handed the ring box to me. "Come on lets go get some lunch I'm starving."

I looked at the box and back at her walking down the street ahead of me. I'd figure it out later, whatever it was that just happened, and I just jogged to catch up with her.

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The box sat in my pocket everyday for two weeks. At work I would pull it out and look at the box occasionally opening it looking at the ring, remembering how it looked at her hand smiling to myself.

One day Cam happened to walk in when I had the box open. "Ah so that's the elusive ring box."

"What! How do you know about that?" I exclaimed.

"Well Angela helped her orchestrate it, which is probably why you haven't given it back to her yet because you're trying to figure out what she was doing. And well, Angela can't keep her mouth shut so now the whole lab is waiting for her to come in wearing that ring." She had a wide smile on her face now. "She's getting annoyed with everyone making excuses to get close enough to look at her hands. You should probably get on it Booth."

"Did you come here for some particular reason Cam? Or was it just to bug me." I asked a little bit annoyed.

"That would be the reason: Angela would like you to get your ass in gear and just ask her already. Brennan is starting to think that you didn't want to ask her, and that when Parker told her that you'd been ring shopping multiple times that he'd miss understood."

"Wait Parker told her?"

"Yeah apparently Parker called her that Monday before she dragged you to the store. He said that he was tired of seeing you on the jewelry store website and he just wanted you to ask her." She told me settling into the chair across from me.

I leaned forward flicking the box shut. "That kid." I shook my head, "What would I do without him."

I stood pulling on my jacket and sliding the box into my pocket. "Do you think you can get everyone to the Lincoln memorial at around seven?" I rounded the desk, "Have them doing something nonchalant, possibly with daffodils… yeah daffodils." I was almost out the door when I remember, "Oh can someone call Max and Russ."

"Um sure… it's not like I have a lab to run or anything?"

"Thanks Cam you're the best." I left her sitting in my office as I left to call Becca and Parker's school.

"Bones!!!!!!!!!!" I let Parker run into Bones office ahead of me knowing that she wouldn't able resist him and then I would be able to get her out of the office ahead of everyone else.

"Parker what are you doing here? I didn't know that we had you tonight?" she spun round to hug him before standing up.

"Change of plans." I told her from the doorway.

"Well it's a nice surprise." She walked over to me kissing me gently. "Well what's the plan?"

Parker piped in just in time, "I don't have school tomorrow so Dad was thinking that we could go out to get burgers and then go see a movie or something."

"That sounds wonderful. Just let me pack" up she smiled.

"No problem, I just need to talk to Cam really quick, you got Parker."

"We'll be fine." She nodded powering down her computer. I left them to go check with Cam before meeting them back at the lab doors. Parker was appropriately rattling on about what he'd been doing in science and how science club was much cooler, that and what exactly he wanted on his burger she was smiling and laughing.

"Let's go." I clapped my hands together sending Parker on his way. She waited for me, "You look very pretty in that skirt Bones." I kissed her and took her hand as we followed after the annoyed 12 year old.

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An hour and a half later, we pulled up in front of the Lincoln Memorial. "Booth this isn't exactly the movie theater."

"I know." I shrugged at Parker took off up the stairs to the memorial. "Booth what's going on?"

"You'll see." I expected her to fight with me on it but instead she just shrugged and slipped her arm through mine.

The sun was setting, causing the monument to glow the white marble reflecting the light. I could just make out the collection of squints, including most of the techs from the lab, trying to pretend that they were looking and weren't actually all holding flowers.

We got about half way up the memorial I stopped spin turning to look at her. This was everyone's cue to look come down toward us holding the flowers.

"You Bones are possibly the most surprising, frustrating, wonderful women of my life. And yet I love you so much. I told you years ago that I knew. I still know. I still know that I'm that guy. I'm that guy that knew when we first met that we were meant to be together, and we would be together for the next thirty, forty, and fifty years. We've had quite a few obstacles along the way but we're still here, we're still together though. And you went and did something I never thought you would ever do: you dragged me into a jewelry store."

She had a slightly confused smile on her face, "Booth, I love you too, but what's going on?"

I pulled out the box and knelt down on the ground. "Bones will you marry me?" Flipping open the box and I waited for her answer.

But of course, my Bones doesn't do anything in the traditional manner. "Why do you think I bought the ring Booth?"

"So that's a yes?"

She nodded pulling me up. "That's a yes." And then she kissed me as everyone burst into apologized.

I slipped the ring on her hand when she pulled back. "One question…" I nodded "Did it have to be so public?"

"You're the one that told Angela who told everyone else. They all work with us so it's no one you don't know." I told her, "Besides you gave me the ring it was up to me to do it how I wanted to ask."

"You're lucky I love you." She smiled turning to accept the thousands of daffodils everyone had for her. "What are we going to do with all these flowers?" She sighed exasperated.

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**See isn't that just a happy ending. I actually saw a guy propose on the Jefferson Memorial last week.**

**All right you know the drill let me know what you thought, particularly if you appreciated removing yourself from the current episodes only for a few minutes.**

**Baby rose  
**


	27. That First Kiss

**Hi everyone! I apologize for the ghastly long delay in updates from me but alas real life, and the end of the semester got the better of me. Anyway in the light of millions of 100th reflections, which are all wonderful and I have contributed to, I've found myself a little depressed about reading and writing. So to get me out of said funk I decided that we all need some shameless fluff because despite everything I'm still and in the category of when the get together not if.**

**Now I realize that tonight, at least in the US, the grave digger trial airs and hopefully will be amazing, but for now I request that you jump five or six years into the future with me and enjoy the fluff. Hopefully it will make you smile.**

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That First Kiss

I opened the front door to the house surprised to find it blissfully quite, surprising but nice. I'd been out of town for a conference since Sunday. I had been sitting through lectures giving a few of my own, and talking with my colleagues ever since then. Now it was Thursday night and I was home, despite the airlines incompetencies. I set my suitcase in the front entrance and wondered into the kitchen wondering why it was so quiet.

Nothing was out of place though, dishes drying in the rack from whatever they'd decided to make for dinner, plus the ones from what appeared to be cookies. But otherwise the only sign that they were even home was the sound of the baby monitor crackling in the kitchen letting me know that Cooper was asleep to the sound of his mobile.

I opened up the cookie jar to find a collection of chocolate chip cookies. Plucking one from the jar, I strolled into the living room, which gave more hints that they're was life in the house, although it wasn't nearly the disaster I thought that it was going to be. A baby doll sat on the couch, and the letter blocks had been abandoned in the corner. I glanced at my watch, telling me that it was eight-thirty and that the baby had gone down for the night about half an hour ago, and that Booth was most likely up stairs putting Bella to sleep right now, hence the silence on the main floor.

The damn airlines, I'd been hoping to get home early enough to say goodnight to them but at this point it was too late. I could go up stairs and check on Cooper, but if he already had Bella ready for bed, it would be best if I waited to kiss her good night when she was fast asleep. I carried my suitcase up the stairs as quietly as I could depositing it in the master bedroom. Taking a moment to change out of the travel worn clothes and wash my face before slipping into the sunshine yellow nursery.

Cooper lay on his back sucking his thumb, sleeping peacefully. I looked down, brushing his hair back. He'd gotten so big in the last year, it felt like only last week when the Booth had given me the tiny life in the hospital for the first time, and Bella had hopped on the bed babbling on about how small he was and he was always sleeping. Parker had laughed at her and asked what his brother's name was. I kissed Cooper's forehead, and pulled his blankets over his body. Switching the mobile again as he began to squirm as he was waking up again.

Stepping out of the room, I walked down the hall and stopped when I could see into Bella's room. Booth was sitting on the princess pink bed in the diva purple room that Angela had done as Bella's fourth birthday present. He had is arms around Bella who was sleepily leaning against her father. She was wearing her princess nightgown, as she called it, and her hair was sticking up in every direction, which made me smile. Doing Bella's hair had never been Booth's talent.

He was reading her bedtime story, Cinderella, her favorite. One of us read it to her at three times a week before she went to bed, she was starting to read parts of it herself, mostly from memory, but it was a start. Now however, she was basically snoring as he read her the last page. _"And they lived happily ever after."_ The phrase that I used to scoff at but somewhere along the line I learned that the definition changes as you get older but it doesn't mean_ happily ever after_ doesn't exist.

In Bella's room Booth was quietly settling Bella into bed, he slid the well loved book onto the book shelf and as he reached to turn out the light Bella looked up and asked him, "Daddy when did you know that you loved Mommy?"

He chuckled softly, pulling the covers up over her body and handing her her teddy bear, before settling on the bed next to her. They made such an adorable picture; I smiled to myself as I leaned against the wall mostly to hear his answer and to wait for him. "Bella, gorgeous, I knew that I loved your mommy the first time I kissed her." He leaned in and kissed her, "But that my dear is a story for when you're older." He walked to the door, "Goodnight, sweetheart." He closed the door and then turned to face me.

At first, he looked surprised and then his face lit up, "I didn't think you were going to get in until midnight." He whispered, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me, before scooping me up and carrying me to the bedroom. "God I missed you."

"Oh you look like you did just fine without me for the week. Cooper's asleep and Bella's in bed by her bed time. The house is clean and there are fresh cookies." I told him as he set me down on the bed.

"Well as much as I would like to take credit for all of that Angela came over and watched Bella and Cooper while I put the house back in order. She and Bella made the cookies."

I shrugged wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him to the bed with me, "Either way, it's nice to come home to everything in order." I kissed him, "and of course to you."

He laughed, "Well I was going to watch the game until you got home but since you're here I guess I don't have to do that."

Hours later, my head pillowed on his chest I asked, "Did you really know that you loved me that first time we kissed?"

He tightened his arms around me, "I've told you before I've always known, Bones. Yeah I knew I loved you that first time, I didn't know how much I would love you. I also knew that you would prove to be the biggest pain in my ass." He kissed the top of my head.

"What do you think would have happened if you hadn't had to hire me back on that first case?"

"I don't know and I don't really care. Even though it was the long way around, I wouldn't give any moment of our relationship, even those moments when we hated each other, up for anything. Because without them I might not still have you or our gorgeous little girl, and handsome baby boy. What do you think would have happened?"

"Well we probably wouldn't be here. But it's useless to speculate, since we are here." I shrugged.

"So why were you asking?" I chuckled.

"Sometimes I like hearing what your imagination comes up with."

He laughed rolling me over, "I love you."

"I know." He kissed me.

The next morning Booth left for work early to catch up on some things that he'd let slide when I was gone and so I was left to get the kids ready for the day. I had Cooper in his high chair playing with as much as eating cheerios and Bella was eating her cheerios. When the nanny arrived so that I could come get ready and go to work and catch up on what I'm sure was thousands of voicemails.

Just as I was saying good-bye to Bella who was trying to get Cooper to play with her, when she asked, "Mommy when did you know that you loved daddy?"

I looked at my little girl and realized I didn't really have an answer, "I don't know I just did."

She looked up at me like that was the most ludicrous answer I could have come up with. "Well Daddy says that he knew the first time you kissed." She stated as if that was the answer that I should have given her.

I thought about explaining my answer but instead I did what Booth told her last night, "I'll tell you more when you're older. Be good today. I love you."

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**See shameless fluff, I'm a sucker for cute kids which theirs undoubtedly would be. Well did you like it was it fluffy enough for you complete removed from everything that's going on in show. Let me know I love hearing from you and it will encourage me to get a couple more of these one shots done for you.**

**Also if you're a lurker and you missed it I did update Sublimated Attraction with the last three episodes it was missing so you should go check it out.  
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**Happy Bones day every one. Can you believe that we've reached the end of season five?**

**Baby Rose  
**


	28. Shadows

**Two updates in one day. You see what summer break allows. Any gravedigger show down in a little more than two hours for me. :)**

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Shadows

The mix of moonlight and streetlights filtered through the windows and the blinds, casting shadows across skin. Pale skin reflecting with a sparkling quality, olive skin giving off a sense of warmth. They contrast each other in ways that one would believe was strange and combination, but they instead seem to create their own special brand of fire as they move against each other.

Movements are awkward reflecting the lack of practice between the two of them. But they still carry a sense utter trust and knowledge of the of the other. Each touch, each reaction is an expression of what they know about the other, what they've always know about the other. Right now all of those movements that communicate everything that they've been trying to tell each other for years.

There are no words now. The shadows of the room are echoed by the gasps, and moans. Making the air feel as alive as the couple. It allows the electricity of this moment to consume them and remind them of what they mean to each other and that every other attempt at something different they have ever tried was meaningless up to this moment.

But when chocolate brown meets sky blue, every word that needs to be expressed can be read. His carry a promise that he will always be there, that he will never leave her. Hers carry the promise to give everything she can to him. Both clearly communicate the three words that they've both said before but they have never truly said with their real intent.

The shadow's shift in the night, the quality of light changes from artificial to sunlight. It changes the warmth of the room and she stirs, opening her eyes to look at him. He looks so calm and content that she's afraid to wake him and change the status quo between and so as quietly and as smoothly as she can she turns away from him and sits up slowly, staring into the shadows trying to determine what to do.

He wasn't trained by the army for nothing. He opened his eyes to see her porcelain back to him. He knows her and knows that right now her brain is going through every possible outcome so he watched her for a few minutes giving her the time she needs without causing her to panic.

When he senses that she's about to make a decision he makes a move to remind her that he's still there. He reaches a hand out and runs in gently down her exposed back and then let his hand fall to the mattress.

She freezes starting at the shadow in the corner; the seconds on the clock seem to drag on as they both wait. She decides not to allow the shadow's to define her or follow her. And so she allows her hand to grasp his. Relief flows through both of them, and the shadow's fade away.

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**I know that you guys are reading these so can you please let me know what you're thinking whether it's good or bad.**

**Baby rose  
**


	29. Walls

**Well that was quiet an episode and I'm not going to lie I teared up and little bit, and had to fight my urge to yell at Brennan. Any way it left me spinning and like most of you I chose to right about it. This is just a reflects of what I saw in the episode, as well as fitting it in with what I've discerned from the last few episode and the finale to come. It is spoilery so beware if you haven't watched it yet.**

**I realized I haven't said this all day but these characters and the plot are not mine they belong to others I'm simply attempting to interrupt what they do to them.**

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Walls

Walls have surrounded her heart for as long as he's known her. It's taken him years to worm his way through those walls. He's torn some down some of them over the last few years, taught her how to connect with people to an extent. Mostly he's just worked his way inside, and for a long time he thought it was enough and they were going to be ok because she'd let him inside, and she let him stay.

But ever since he took a gamble and told her he wanted more between them those walls seemed have been reforming and with him on the other side. At first it was subtle her pulling back allowing him to date others, encouraging him, telling him he deserved a good women, when she knew that the women he wants is her. But it was all small and he figured that with a little time she'd let him back in and everything would right itself.

Then they came face to face with the one woman that tried to kill three of them and has always tested them whenever she has come into their lives and he watches the walls fly back up. Where hour's previously she admitted to him that this women causes her nightmares, she's now questioning if this woman is better than she is because she is still completely rational and she knows that she no longer is. He watches her wonder if her relationship with him and everyone at the lab has made her a worse scientist. And it feels like she's slamming those bricks into place right in front of his very eyes.

When she tells him that she's tired of it, that she's tired of murder and mayhem, and that maybe she just wants to go back to the way things where before she worked with him, where she didn't have to worry about kidnappers burying her alive, or taking him from right underneath her. He tells her that she should take some time and think about it before she makes any rash decisions.

But that look in her eye tells him that she's been looking for a reason to do this, and a chance to tell him what she's been looking for. She's been looking for a reason to throw those walls back up, and that woman has given her the chance and the rational reason to do so. And just when he thought that it wasn't possible to hate that women any more he realizes that she has come between the two of them, and for that he hates her even more because this time there is no deadline to beat, and no more evidence to process to try and save them, because she's done the one thing no one else had ever managed to do to them before and that was to derail them.

He watched her drive away and it's so oddly reminiscent to the time he watched her drive away in the rain that he wants to rail and scream because this time he's certain that she's trying to make sure her walls are completely impregnable and that no one will ever be able to get through them again.

He sees it coming as more bricks fall into place over the next week. As she decides to go on a dig and leaves, the Jeffersonian the one place that has been her true home and she leaves behind the one group of people that have become more of a family to her than anyone else ever could have been.

Those walls fly up and he knows that they can all feel it, but it feels worse to him than her telling him that she couldn't change because this is an acknowledgment that she did change and that she believes that she needs to go back to the way things were. And those walls are solid and impenetrable this time because he told her he was going to move on and he can't try to get inside her defenses if he's supposed to be moving on because that's no longer his place.

So this time he realizes that she's going to have to tear down those walls all on her own because she won't let him do it anymore. First, she's going to have realized that her efforts to be a completely rational person again is fruitless because no one completely rational is worth being.

This time he's going to have to wait for her to come to him.

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**So that's all I have for you I'm working on Sublimated. **

**Two things I notice in the episode (1) they're wearing the same clothes on the last day of the trial as they were on the first (2) and the only way they could have replicated that taxi scene any better would have been if it was raining.**

**Please Please tell me your thoughts.**

**Babyrose  
**


	30. Haunted

_**I apologize to those of you that have gotten an email for this chapter twice already, have already read, and possibly reviewed. Their appears to be a problem with the link that I'm trying to fix. Sorry again.**_

**Well this is a little bit out of left field but my brain was nagging with it. I guess it was probably sparked by Tamara Taylor's interview where she said that she didn't know how the writers were going to start season six.... Sooo I came up with this despite the fact that the finale hasn't aired yet. So I give you my take on the beginning of season six.**

**This is where I tell you that I don't own bones, the characters or any of the past plot lines, and if the writers want to use this for the opening I'll be totally fine with that I'm sure some token from the set would make me totally over the moon. Just kidding unless you want to....**

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Haunted

He stood in the entrance to the lab set up on the edge of the dig and just watched her. They'd promised that they'd would at least see each other when they returned to DC. She was never certain that she would go back to working with the Jeffersonian and the FBI, but she was at least going to stay his friend, in his life. That was all that was keeping his sanity through this, was the promise of her friendship if nothing else.

What he hadn't expected was to be standing at the edge of her new space less than six months later waiting for her to acknowledge his presence, or at least for him to spot an opening to interrupt her. He studied her from behind as he waited. She'd cut her hair since he'd seen her last. Its new short length was determinedly escaping her ponytail, curling in the heat, she kept trying to use the back of her arm to brush away way, what appeared to be the addition of bangs. The sun had lightened it, and added red highlights.

She stood inspecting the pelvis, he thought, of the skeleton's that she'd come here to inspect. She'd lost weight since he'd seen her last, not in a bad way, rather it was slightly more tone look that reflected the strenuous work that she was doing here, and the fact that she'd probably skipped more than a few meals without him there to force her to eat. Her skin had a golden glow to it that almost made her sparkle in the labs lighting.

Despite all of the changes that he had just noted in his careful study of the women if front of him, the one that he was trying to move on from, she studied the bones before her in the exact same manner as she always did, with unyielding focus as she searched the bones for that single clue that would answer her questions. Find that missing link she was always talking about in her letters, and on the rare occasion that they talked on the phone.

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She'd been called fourteen times at last count by people at varying levels demanding her expertise as a forensic anthropologist back in the states helping on a current murder. The Director of the FBI had been very blatant in demanding that her return, apparently discovering another step in the evolutionary chain was not remotely important to the Director. Not that she cared, there was only one person that she would have ever considered going back early for and the Director was not it. More phones calls had followed cumulating in a phone call from Attorney General, demanding her return. At least that's when she'd stopped taking the calls and she had refused to return any messages from then on.

Apparently, the American government was not as slow or stupid as she had accredited them to be from time to time. They'd figured out the only reason that she would ever have considered going back early and they hadn't had him contacting her and ask her to do it for him, they'd sent him.

Her back being to the door had not stopped her from sensing him the instant he'd walked into the little lab space she had on the other side of the world. The sound of his footsteps was so familiar to her ears even after years she would have known it was him. When he stopped in the doorway, she could just catch the scent of his after-shave and body wash, mixed with the humid air, reminding her of every "guy hug" he'd ever given her. She tried not to show any reaction to his arrival, she was going to wait for him to speak, for him to announce his presence, until then she was going to go about her business.

She lifted the pelvis off the table under the pretense of examining it for differences, to gain some information from it. She pretended that she was unaware of him. He was studying her that much she knew; it was the first time they were in each others presence in months. They've talked and written emails but that was it, so he was looking to see what had changed, to see if she was really different.

She wanted to turn and see if it was really him or if it was just her subconscious conjuring memories of his presence trying to fill in the void that he had left when they'd separated. But until he said something she wasn't going to turn around, because his last words they'd spoken in person still haunted her nearly every moment since she'd walked down that jet way. _"We're not partners anymore. There's no excuses left."_ She'd wiped away a tear when he told her that, and sighed, _"I know"_

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She moved on from the pelvis well aware that she was going to have to go back to it; she picked up the clipboard and made a few notations before looking back at the skeleton giving him the opening he'd been waiting for.

"Bones." He softly said her nickname, hearing her breath catch, because besides his son, he was only person that ever called her that. Slowly she turned to face him; damn she looked more beautiful than he could have ever remembered. She didn't say anything though she just studied him, taking in the army fatigues that he hadn't had the time to change out of before he'd been told he was being temporarily dismissed and sent to Indonesia. They'd given him twenty minutes to pack and didn't tell him until he was on the plane exactly what has happening.

Slowly she lifted her hands to her hips and tilted her head the side. In response, he lifted the file in his hand and showed it to her. "We have a case."

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**Cue opening credits, and to follow a wonderful season opener. Which I might be persuaded to write more of depending on what you think. **

**Tell me what you think, please I love hearing from you. The last chapter got a strangely low response, but it also seemed like the site just ate the story temporarily.**

**Ok that's it I'm working on one other piece for before the finale, but I'm struggling to convey what my brain has come up with, any way you'll see it later.  
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	31. Starting Again

**It's Season Finale Day!** **It's Season Finale Day! although it's yet to be seen if I really will be happy about that.  
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**First off thank you for the response to the last chapter, I'm glad you all liked it. So I'm going to continue after the credits have rolled in the opener of season six. I wouldn't say this has the same quality as the last one because there's is more dialogue and people are never as eloquent speaking as they are writing. But I still like it. Too me it seems necessary if what I think is going to happen happens. **

**So the opening credits have rolled and the annoying commercial break that always seems to follow is gone and here is what comes next according to me, who doesn't own or write for Bones, unless I'm having a strange dream.**

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Starting Again

"_We have a case"_ The words reverberated in the room for a few minutes as she just looked at him, in his army fatigues looking just as handsome and kind as he had when they'd left.

She shook her head and snapped off the gloves and pitched them in the trash and brushed passed him on her way out of them room. She had ignored the calls because she wasn't going to go back, at least not before this was over. But now he was here and she didn't know what she what to say to him to make this end, to give her the six months that she'd asked for.

Damn it, she was entitled to that time, to that time to go back to her roots and be a forensic anthropologist that worked with the bodies of people long gone, rather than those that had only recently been lost. They'd agreed she would go to Indonesia and take a break from the business of murder and he was going to the Rangers to train their snipers. He hadn't made her make any promises to return when their time was up he'd simply requested that she would be his friend through this and when it was over she would see him again.

Then just as they'd been about to go their separate ways he'd said those words to her, "_there's no excuses left",_ and he'd been right there was nothing left except thousands of miles and time. But it hadn't stopped those words from haunting her at every turn. Like a broken turntable, they'd pulsed through her mind with every moment. The only time they eased was when she had the rare opportunity to talk to him, or was reading a letter he'd written her about the boys he was training. Now he was here and rather than the statement, fading away it seemed that her brain was screaming it instead.

She knew that he'd followed her to the camps kitchen area, "Would you like some water Booth?" She asked into the abyss knowing that it was possibly the worst opening words she'd ever uttered.

His strong voice came from behind her, "That would be great Bones"

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His words hung in the air as he waited for some sort of reaction from her; he'd been something along the lines of her yelling at him that she didn't do that type of work, or her saying hi and taking the file from him. What he hadn't expected was for her to remain silent as she removed her gloves and left him in the lab as she went off in some other direction. Confused he was quick to follow.

She'd lead him to the camp's open-air kitchen, and then he heard the first words she would speak to him "Would you like some water, Booth?" It used to be that he would make fun of her for not using a proper greeting, but the dynamic had changed and now wasn't the time for that so he sat at the table with the file in front of him and waited for the glass.

She set the glass in front of him with unnecessary force causing the water to slosh over the edge a little bit, before she proceeded to down her own glass. "I'm not going back Booth."

He looked up at her studying her face for just a moment, seeing the lack of sleep around her eyes and the worry that her gaze held. "I'm not asking you to go back Bones."

Anger flared, "Yes you are. You are asking me to go back to the world of murder solving." She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward into his space, "I told everyone from the Director of the FBI to the Attorney General and every other person at the DoJ that I can't solve murders any more, that I'm entitled to my time. The answer is no different because you're here Booth, I can't and I won't." And then she sat across from him. "Not until my time here is up."

He smiled trying to ease the tension and calm her down. "I got that apparently you've missed and refused to return phone calls not only to the Attorney General but the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff to the President, as well as the President himself. You're making quiet a name for yourself in DC right now."

"There are other Forensic Anthropologist in the world Booth. It's not like I'm the only one." She muttered into the table.

"They want the best Bones, and who's the best?" Damn him and his ability to make everything more light hearted. "Why I do believe that you've told me on numerous occasions that it's this woman, Dr. Temperance Brennan, she's the best of the best and absolute genius. And so they've been trying to get her but she's in the back woods of Indonesia refusing to talk to the President of the United States, and yelling at the Attorney General, and Director of the FBI."

Now he was grinning at her and she didn't have the will power not to at least smile at him, "Is that why you're here, to convince me to give up everything here and return to fight crime? Don't you have several more months on your tour?"

His smiled died on his face, "Yeah Bones they sent me to get you back to do it." He reached out and grabbed her hands with his own. "The army sent me here to convince you to do this, to go back to what you gave up because you were so good at it."

"I'm not going without you. I won't work a case with anyone else." She told him flatly knowing that this should be a deal breaker given that he's on a tour of duty.

"See that's where you underestimate the US government Bones. They already knew that." He had his charm smile on his face, the one he uses to coax her into doing things for him when she doesn't want to. "I won't go into the whole story but the Director talked to Hacker who with the help of Caroline and Perotta convince him that if they were really serious about getting you back for this case they would have to get me too."

"So the army is letting you go for this case?" It didn't make sense after all the effort that they'd put into getting him to go back to training why would they let him go in the middle of the time he'd agreed on.

"Yes, and you can come back to this dig if you want to when we solve it but until then they want you to this." She rose from the table frowning at him slightly. "I know that Cam is still trying to fill your position and Hodgins and Angela are itching for something interesting to do if you decide to stay in DC rather than return."

"Can I at least see the file first?" She quietly demanded she wasn't going to make any decisions based on what he would call a gut need to go back to spending time with him, working with him, being his friend… being something more with him………..

Quietly he handed it to her not taking his eyes off her was she quietly skimmed the pages, but he could see her resolve before she set the file back in front of him, "I'll be ready to go in twenty minutes." And she left the tent.

He'd known the instant he'd seen the file that showing her was all it would take for her to agree to it. Because the moment he saw it he'd known why they needed her and why they wouldn't take anyone else.

Because despite what they'd all wanted to believe at the beginning of the summer, it wasn't over, it appears to only just have started.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they she meet him loading the hummer with her bags. "Does this mean we're partners again?" She asked the question that had been nagging her since she learned he was going to help her.

His eyes meet hers fully understanding the point of the question. "For now Bones but I don't know that it really changes anything." They stood just staring at each other for a few moments, the words from months previous haunting their thoughts, before he decided to break the tension. "You look really good Bones."

She looked stunned for a moment before recovering gracefully, "You look good too Booth, even in your army fatigues."

He chuckled and reached out an arm using it to pull her to him wrapping her in a hug. At first, she didn't respond, but when she'd processed her arms came up and hugged him back. "I missed you." She whispered into his jacket. So quiet that if there'd been any other noise in the camp he wouldn't have heard it.

He hugged her tighter and whispered right back, "You have no idea how much I missed you Bones."

* * *

**Well there you have it my opener to season six based on what i think will happen.**

**With all that in mind the it is Season Finale Day here and I can't decide if I'm excited or scared for the finale. Fox has been very quiet about it which just makes me more nervous, that and it'll be off the air for four months doesn't help matters.**

**Alright let me know what you think. Enjoy the finale and I'll see you in the doldrums of summer in an attempt to keep my own sanity.**

**Babyrose  
**


	32. One and a Whole

**Um... so the finale didn't kill my muse, quiet the contrary instead it sent my brain into an over load and I couldn't get anything out that sounded remotely appropriate. It was this piece that I've been struggling with, and honestly I have no idea if I did it any justice, but it's there and suddenly I feel like I should be able to write for all the other ideas I've had over the weekend. I'm going to admit that I haven't done any reading since the finale because I didn't want to taint it, or my own theories, I needed to keep them for me I guess. What this means is that this might have already been done already and in which case I apologize for that. **

**Anyway what sparked this was that the finale reminded me of something from Lord of the Rings (nerdy I know) But at the very end Frodo tells Sam, "You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years" Something about this explained the finale to me and provoked this. So read on and tell me what you think.**

**No I don't own Bones, and I think for once that actually makes me happy because I am not responsible for what happens to them, but it also allows me to watch it unfold. Can you imagine what it's like already knowing what's going to happen and not being able to share? So like I said it's not truly mine and that the first time is actually a relief.**

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One and a Whole

For five years, you've been part of a pair, of a partnership, of a friendship. You've been one half of a whole for so long that you hardly remember what it's like to be one and whole. Suddenly you are alone for a year, forced to be a one and a whole again. The individual state wasn't forced on you unwillingly, but rather it was a choice by both of you, for a year.

The time it takes for the earth to make one revolution around the sun, for four seasons to come and go, for twelve months to slip away; 365 days of being one and a whole.

The time allows you to learn what it's like to be on your own two feet again. To make decisions without concern for how they will affect anyone but yourself. You learn how to function by yourself again. To do things on your own, without thinking about how the other will react to your actions, now your actions simply reflect what you need and no one else.

You learn that standing on your own two feet and being your own person has always been important to you and for the first time in a long time you are looking at yourself through your own eyes and not theirs. It surprises you to find that you love the person that you are.

For weeks you revel in the feeling of being comfortable in your own skin, it feels as though your unleashing a power and a presence that has been contained for so long that you believe this separation is exactly what you needed to view your life before with objectivity. That is until that one comment by someone else reminds you that you aren't any different without them, and the next time that you look in the mirror you realize that you are who you are because of them. And with or without them you are this person now.

And so you learn that you are one and a whole because of them, and that you can stand on your own two feet and be the person that you want to be because that is who they've helped you become.

The time that it takes the earth to revolve around the sun is the time that it takes for you to learn that just because you are one and a whole doesn't mean that you are complete. You learn that you truly are one and a whole because of them, before you knew them you were a shell of what you could be, but with their help, you have filled the holes, fixed what was broken, and learned to value everything that you are.

As the year draws to a close, you realize that while you are comfortable as you, that you are complete as you, it is only truly worth it because they are the one that appreciates it most because they helped you get there. And maybe you aren't truly one and a hole without them there to remind you why you are you.

Suddenly there is a glaring hole preventing you from being complete. It's nothing that can be solved by more time apart or trying to change yourself, rather it is a hole that was created by the fact that you are the most complete when they are there.

365 days have ticked by. The world has changed, the meaning of life has been tilted, wars have altered their course, you have found everything that you were looking for, and it was right where you left it. You don't regret the time and perspective you have gained because not only has the world changed but so have you. You have learned how to be you without them and that the world will go on without them in it. But you can't help but acknowledge that it might be a little bit dimmer if it did.

So when blue locks with brown for the first time in days, you know that things have changed, but that doesn't seem to matter in that moment.

Because in that moment you are one and whole again, because they were the missing piece.

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**Well what did you think? **

**I've decided that it was ingenious to have the time shift, it will allow them to learn to be on their own again and be themselves, thus creating plenty of plot drama for season six. And making whatever it is that HH has planned all the more special.**

**There is more to come and if you at like me the possibilities are infinite both for the show and for fan fiction.**

**Babyrose  
**


	33. St Christopher

**So I've noticed a trend, most people are writing about reunions, or letters. And yet I can't seem to get over the separation because I think that's a bigger deal and more important than the reunion. They'll get back together I'm not remotely worried about it. **

**Anyway so there is speculation out there that Brennan is wearing Booth's St. Christopher medal in the last scene. So this is based on that and the fact that there had to have been another goodbye besides the one that we saw.**

**Still don't own Bones, and I'm still happy about that, other than the fact that if I did then I wouldn't be worried about finding a job in a year after graduation.**

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St. Christopher

Everything was in its place, nothing left besides what would withstand the test of time. In the spare bedroom, boxes were labeled detailing the contents of what had once been his apartment; she was letting him store it here so that he could sublet his apartment while they were gone. Her things were organized meticulously so that when she returned there would be no confusion. The only things that weren't in their place were neatly folded in the suitcase, which was sitting by the door with her carry on and computer bag.

She surveyed her room as she brushed her hair before, sliding the brush back into her toiletries and transferring the remaining items to the suitcase in the hallway making one last sweep of the apartment checking for anything she'd missed, knowing that Cam would be checking in every so often anyway, but it didn't do any harm.

In her bedroom her eyes lighted on the one thing that wasn't where it belonged, it just lay on her dresser reminding her the last time that she'd seen him before he'd reported to base.

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There had been nothing in his apartment and he was going to check into a hotel for the night, and then have lunch with Parker before reporting. She'd insisted that he sleep in the guest room, "…all of his things were in there anyway…" she'd attempted to lighten the mood.

He'd smiled and accepted and after one last drink together, they'd separated going to their separate rooms. She'd lain in her bed for what seemed like the entire night tossing and turning thinking through all of the possibilities that the next year, and the one after that, held. Wondering if separating was really the best thing for them and their partnership, if things really would be the same when they got back.

When her door opened, and he walked inside wearing sweats and a t-shirt, he walked around the bed and slipped under the covers. "I couldn't sleep," was all he said. Together they lay in silence for before she reached for his hand and squeezed. He squeezed back, "we're going to be okay Bones, we're going to be okay." Eventually they'd both fallen asleep.

In the morning she'd woken, head pillowed on his chest, arm thrown across his torso, legs tangled with his and his arms holding her solidly to him. She'd smiled weakly to herself fighting tears inhaling his scent one last time before careful extracting herself from his arms and going to the kitchen. Only allowing the tears to escape after she'd left the room.

He found her standing over the stove minding what appeared to be the last of the pancake batter. He poured himself a cup of coffee, "You didn't have to make me pancakes Bones, we could have just gone out for breakfast."

She'd shrugged sliding the last pancake onto the plate and carrying it to the table, "I have eggs that need used before I leave." She said calmly, praying he wouldn't comment on the evidence of tears on her face.

He smiled calmly at her. "Hey, I'm not going complain about you cooking for me." They ate breakfast in comfortable sad silence. When the dishes were cleared he went to shower and pack his things, she set to work clearing out the food in the kitchen, both of them choosing not to think about the goodbye to come rather focusing on the things that needed to happen in the next few hours.

There was nothing left in here fridge, she'd unplugged it, and her pantry only contained the canned goods that would last the year, when he came back out dressed to leave, duffel slung over his shoulder. He set it down by the door as she just watched him from the counter. "Bones, I need to get going."

"I know." She sighed coming around the kitchen island.

"We're going to be fine Bones in a year we'll meet by the coffee cart on the mall and we'll pick up right where we left off." He assured her taking a step towards her.

"Things will be different Booth." She stated calmly.

"Will that be such a bad thing Bones?" He asked. She didn't have an answer for him so they just stood there for a moment looking at each other. He took a deep breath, "Listen I have something for you." He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, holding it out for her.

She stepped forward talking it in her hands looking at it just briefly registering exactly what it was he was giving her. "Booth this is the St. Christopher medal your grandfather gave you when you first shipped out. I can't take this."

"Yes you can, I put it on a different chain for you, but I want you to have it. He's the patron Saint of Travelers and I do believe that going to Indonesia for a year qualifies as traveling." He insisted.

She shook her head trying to hand it back to him, "Booth I'm not religious I can't take this from you. It was a gift from your grandfather."

He closed her hand around the medallion, "And now I'm giving it to you. Listen I know that you're not religious but I want you to have it because if nothing else it will remind you of me. I'm giving it to you because I do believe in god and because I do want St. Christopher to look out for you when I can't, ok? So please just take it." His eyes pleaded with her.

She looked at him, his face cleanly shaven, and hair parted and slicked to the side rather than it's more traditional spiky look, and his eyes silently begging her to take the medallion from him, to just give him that much. Lowering the hand that now held the necklace. "What about you?" was all that she managed to ask.

A smile graced his face, "I'll be just fine knowing that you have this ok… come here." And he pulled her into a hug. Her arms automatically went around his back holding herself as close as possible to him, burying her head in the crook of his neck, giving into the tears. She felt his face in her hair as his own tears escaped.

There they stood in her kitchen, afraid to let go, because that meant moving forward with this temporary separation. Holding each other up for the longest possible before he eventually squeezed her just a little bit tighter and then let go.

"I… I have to go get Parker to say goodbye." He'd stuttered. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it to the airport to say goodbye again…"

She took a deep calming breath, "It's ok, go say goodbye to your little boy and I'll see you in a year."

"By the coffee cart?"

She smiled, "By the coffee cart. Don't do anything stupid ok?"

"I'll try, you be safe in that jungle, and I hope you discover something amazing." He kissed her cheek squeezing her arm and with that he was gone leaving her alone in her apartment. Never before had it ever felt so lonely.

* * *

She'd taken the necklace and set it on her dresser as soon as he'd left and hadn't thought about it since as she went about the necessary preparations for her departure.

Now it was the last thing left. So it was a religious medal, it was his St. Christopher medal and he wanted her to have it. Never more assured of themselves her hand took the necklace and fastened it on, taking only a moment to look at in the mirror before laying a hand over it thinking of the numerous times she'd seen it on him.

The doorbell rang, breaking her revere, announcing Angela and Hodgins arrival to take her to the airport. She hit the lights in her room, closed the blinds, and collected her bags taking one moment to look back at the apartment before closing the door behind her, and locking the deadbolt.

Silently she sat on the ride to the airport fingers absentmindedly playing with the pendant, watching the city fly past her. She knew that he couldn't come and say goodbye and yet she couldn't help but hope that he would be there, that they would get to see each other just one more time before everything changed.

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**Well did you like it?**

**I have more ideas to come. Also I'm looking for an idea for a multi-chapter fic so if any of you have any ideas you would like to see let me know.  
**

**Babyrose**


	34. A Year

**So apparently I'm not really over the finale, don't know that I will be for a while. Any way it feels like to me everyone thinks that everyone is going to come back and Booth and Brennan will have magically figured everything out and that'll be that and we'll get to see them happy and together. More realistically I have absolutely no hope of that, which is what manifested this story.**

**Despite the fact that I don't own Bones I have a feeling that we're in for a bumpy ride next season, in a good way, but it certainly won't clean and easy like we hope for since it never is so I'm offering you my insight. Take it or leave it, just know that there is more of it where this came from.**

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A Year

A year is a long time, short in the grand scheme of things but in the here and now, it is akin to forever. The world can change drastically in a year. Personalities will shift; desires will make themselves known, and needs will surface.

A year will put the world into a whole new perspective; it will open up opportunities, close doors, and expose thoughts that have never manifested before. One will re-learn and entire way of living on their own, and it won't matter how much they would like everything to stay the same it will change.

A year will create a shift in the dynamics of a relationship, whether they are together or apart. For anyone a year creates change, shifts the story line, and alters the course of the future. For some they are terrified that it will change everything and that hope has to be given up. For others this is the best thing that they could ever imagine happening because it will give them a chance to work everything out.

A year will allow one to make an effort to move on and another to decide exactly what they need. Like a switching of the poles, it will now be the opposite perusing the other, the opposite is now the one that knows what they want and who they want it with, while the one that used to know doesn't anymore, is looking for their eventually somewhere else, and feeling like maybe they've found it.

A year they'll meet again and they'll both be prepared to pick up right where they left off as far as their partnership is concerned but their personal relationship will be another story. Where one now only wants to be friends and partners, the other wants more than that.

Another year they'll struggle with the discrepancies in what they each believe to be their relationship. They catch the murders, and grapple with a new dynamic, something they never thought that they would have to deal with before.

That year won't have only changed their dynamics but the whole teams, there are children involved, and art shows, more weddings to plan and attend. Relationships will be more than co-workers, and there will be a new cast of characters who in their absence filled the holes, and now as a team they have to learn to work with that.

But the truth of the matter is that no matter, if it is a year that past or a decade, their relationship has never been an if, it has always been a when. So the storyline has shifted and now they have to figure it out again, but they will, they always do.

They will take a year to struggle with the shift in time the things that it has changed within them and around them but there is nothing a year could do to permanently change the path that they have always been on.

So a year has passed and more will, but it has never been an if, but rather a when and they both know that. They knew that when they parted at the airport and they know that as they both settle onto the bench reassembling the center.

A year they will have on their own to reaffirm themselves, and decide exactly what they want. But the year after that they'll have to do it all over again, this time together. Because they've never been an if but an eventually.

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**Yup I ended it with eventually, something about that saying always sticks with me. Anyway what did you think? or am I on my own with this train of thought?**

**Also I have a question for you all: does it feel like everyone is kinda of stalled on writing because they have on idea what the characters will be like when they come back, or am I alone in this feeling?**

**I said I have more were this came from so I'll post it later. I'd love to hear from you.**

**Babyrose  
**


	35. Tequila, Blackmail, Desperation

**So no response on the last chapter so far but I don't blame you these are getting a little tired and this will be the last one that I post in this respect. It ends in eventually as well.**

**Still don't own it and still glad that I don't, but if some one wants to give it to me I won't say no.**

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Tequila, Blackmail, Desperation, and Acknowledgment

Tequila and lust fueled the first time that their lips met. It was heady and passionate. Both we're looking to just feel something other than what they work with all day every day. Whether past or present, they are dealing with death, the loss of human life. And so when the tequila addled minds presented the opportunity to feel something other than the loss of life they both jumped at it. But even then they knew that it would ever just be an escape for them. He acknowledges the potential of it when he admitted, for possibly the first time to anyone, that he had a problem. That acknowledgment wasn't enough to stop the kiss. But it was enough for her to stop it from going any further under the influence of tequila. So who knows maybe if she hadn't been right, and if her team hadn't solved the case, and found the evidence, maybe he would have called her and asked her to dinner. Then either the relationship would have gone nowhere or it would have blossomed but it's useless to speculate on the possibilities.

Blackmail, mutual respect, and wanting to make their friend happy is what caused the second meeting. It sparked memories, and spoke of hidden desires, but it would have never been anything other than a kiss because it was blackmail. It didn't happen because they both wanted it to, it happened because it was a means to an end. And sure they could have found a way around it, done something else met the ends, but there was a little mutual curiosity to see if it was everything they remembered it to be. Unfortunately, it didn't disappoint and left them both a little rattled. But it didn't change the status quo it just served as a reminder of what could have been.

Desperation fueled the last collision. One sided desperation to stop the dance, to stop pushing those fleeting seconds to the back of your memory. But desperation isn't enough, and it never will be for either of you. So the other forces the end trying not to break your heart knowing that they've just altered everything that you've both spent the last five years looking for, working for. True neither of you know how different things might have worked out if he'd never had to call you back all those years ago. In a different reality you could have been happily married, more likely it wouldn't have lasted because the people that you were six years ago we're only fleetingly compatible. It's the people that you've become that are the matching puzzle pieces. But fear of disturbing that is what stopped one of you.

When you finally come together, it will be mutual agreement. Something small will have made light of what you both really need. Neither will know who first initiated it but it will not be the end. It will be an acknowledgment of how much the past has meant to you, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the time alone. It will be an acknowledgment of the changes you both went through. It won't happen when either of you expect it, and it certainly won't happen when anyone thinks it will.

There will be a since of finality to everything, not to your relationship, not to the struggles ahead that you will face, but to the end of pretending of anything different. It will be an acknowledgment that this is it, even if tequila, blackmail, desperation free kiss, doesn't lead anywhere beyond that right away, it will. You just have to wait for eventually.

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**Please let me know your thoughts. Pretty Please with a cherry on top.**

**Now I will tell you that even if this hasn't really been your cup of tea you should stick around because I'm working on the next piece for this and I love it so far and think it's going to be kind of awesome when I finish it.**

**Thoughts please please.**

**Baby rose.  
**


	36. From the Other Side

**Ok so I promised no more pieces dissecting the finale, like the last two. Instead I decided to write something from another person's point of view, which if you've read _Sublimated Attraction_ you know I love doing. In this case it is the person hired to fill our dear Dr. Brennan's position for the year. That's all I'm going to tell you besides this contains countless possibilities for season six, and it kinda long.**

**Still don't own it and I'm still enjoying being told the story that is Bones even if it isn't going the way I want it to.**

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From the Other Side

I have held this position for a little over eight months, I'm simply suppose to be the temporary fill-in for the person who is the dominating presence in both my field and this building despite her absence. I came in believing that this wasn't a difficult job, that it was nothing that I couldn't handle.

For years I'd though that it was truly a waste and the renowned Dr. Brennan's time. Why would someone so experienced and vastly gifted in the field of forensic anthropology would spend their time working the FBI solving murders, rather than studying and researching to advance our field, and the understanding of the human race? So when she went to head the Maluku Island Project and I wasn't invited there, but I was invited to fill her position at the Jeffersonian for a year.

Dr. Saroyan had explained to me that my duties at the Jeffersonian would be to work my way through modular skeletal storage, identifying remains, and to work with whatever FBI agent I was assigned to in order to help them solve cases and lock away the people that committed them. At first, I was confused I thought that I would be working with the agent Dr. Brennan normally worked with, but apparently, he was gone for the year as well, so I would have an agent to my very own. It's yet to be seen if this was a good thing or whether we'd been hampered by it.

To say this year had been easy would be a mistake. It's been eye opening, strenuous, taxing, and extremely educational. Dr. Saroyan thought that it would be easiest for me to start in modular skeletal storage while we waited for the FBI to assign and agent and a case to our services, in the mean time she would be looking of a temporary forensic artist and computer tech, as well as an entomologist.

Modular skeletal storage… well upon first look I knew why they called it limbo. There had to be millions of remains stored in the seemingly endless basement in lit drawers, you couldn't even see the end of it. I instantly gave up all hope of ever completing this project, and started with the first drawer I could reach trying to give the body as much information as I possibly could.

For several weeks, I labored over the incomplete skeletons, many whose identities would never be discovered, but I toil to find every identifying factor I could, and had the forensic artist give them a face. It was my third Tuesday at the Jeffersonian when I broke, I've worked with remains for years, and I've never seen anything on this scale. I'd gone down to get another set of remains and just ended up sitting on the stairs, wondering how on earth she ever managed to do this day in and day out. Staring at remains that just need and identity is more heart breaking than you could imagine, normally I'm studying remains to see trends in skeletons, look at evolution, but not here, here I was to give them an identity and nothing more.

That's where Dr. Saroyan found me; she sat down on the stairs next to me. "Overwhelming isn't it?" I didn't answer I just sat, using silence to answer instead. "Two anthropologists refused to stay once they looked at it, and two more lasted less than two weeks. So really you're doing quite well."

I shook my head, "I always thought that this was a waste of her time, now that I understand what she does I can't even process how she does it. There's no way to make any head way, there's always more of them."

Dr. Saroyan smiled comfortingly in my direction, "Well I guess it's time for you to learn about the second aspect of her job her, and trust me this part is definitely harder and I will have a lot more to say about it. But once you get the hang of it you'll do alright." She stood, "Let's go met the Agent assigned to you by the FBI, and you'll get to met Dr. Sweets. Who if you ever need to talk to about anything I recommend it."

On that day I met the pompous ass I was assigned to work with, Agent Schaffer. Apparently, he was the agent with the second highest close rate behind Agent Booth and as such he had been brought in from California to take Agent Booth's place for the year. He was insufferable. Apparently, both the FBI and the Jeffersonian not only expected me to work with the remains, but I was supposed to go into the field with him, and not just for recovery.

And that's where it began, from everyone: Dr. Saroyan, Caroline Julian, the techs at the lab, Dr. Sweets, even Deputy Direct Andrew Hacker, said it. "That's not how Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth would do it." And every possible derivation of the phrase you can imagine. I think that's the one reason Agent Schaffer and I ever managed to stick it out we were trying to prove that we were at least as good as they were at this, if not better.

The first case wasn't too difficult and I managed to avoid contact with the families, and avoided most of the investigating outside the lab. And I thought that I was going to be able to maintain that but it didn't go unnoticed by either of our superiors, and with every case, I was ordered out into the field with more and more force. Somewhere along the line, I stopped fighting it and just grudgingly accepted it.

As difficult as dealing with the scope of modular storage was, dealing with the remains of those recently lost, their families, and the fact that another human being did this, was infinitely more difficult and incredibly taxing. As the months passed I got better at it, dealing with humanity, grappling with the concept that these people were doing these thing weren't monsters of the past but rather villains of the present. I really struggled with that concept and end up having to talk to Dr. Sweets.

But it didn't matter what Schaffer and I managed to work out and make work on our own, the phrase was always there, "That's not how Booth and Brennan would have done it." Which I could never understand, how did they as a partnership have anything over us, why was their close rate so high.

For years, there had been speculation in the forensic anthropology community as to why Dr. Brennan was doing this: because of her relationship with Agent Booth. Having been in her shoes for a few months I had to admit that there had to be something more than just solving the mystery of someone's identity or finding the cause of the death and the murder weapon. Sure, between Schaffer and myself we had heard the rumors of the partners, and the possible reasons for their fleeing to the far ends of the earth, but it still never really explained why she in particular put her expertise to work in this field.

That was until I sat in my first courtroom and offered my first testimony as a forensic anthropologist. Giving the testimony that would serve as the clinching evidence sending away a man that had brutally murdered a young woman over something trivial, explained her devotion to this path. The family's gratefulness and the closure that it brought them when the bastard that murdered their little girl got what he deserved that reinforced if for me.

That trial made it all make sense. She did this because she could put a name to a face, she could give a body, a pile of bones to most, a name, a face, a life, a family, and justice. It didn't matter what advances she could make for science she was doing something here that was more important than anything anyone in research could ever do, she was making the world a better place. She was using her knowledge to help make the world some place worth living, somewhere worth understanding the secrets of.

I finally was getting the point of it, becoming talented at this when Dr. Saroyan informed me that Dr. Brennan would be returning in a week. I didn't know how to react I'd only just come to appreciate what I was doing here and now it was over. She must have read it on my face because she told me that it didn't mean the end of my work here. I would have to prove my worth to Dr. Brennan but she had already discussed with the FBI and they didn't see why it wouldn't be beneficial to have two sets of FBI guys and anthropologists at their disposal, and it meant that limbo might see more work. She did stress that this was completely contingent on Dr. Brennan's approval, who we both knew was impossible to impress.

In that last week before their return to D.C., the rumors intensified about their partnership. People were wondering if they would come back lovers, or if they would be unable to work together, a pool was started up as to whether their return would result in a declaration of their love, or they would be a lost cause. Besides having only met Dr. Brennan at a few conferences and having never met Agent Booth let alone watch them interact, I chose not to participate.

That week was full of returns and departures. The entomologist and forensic artist that I had been working with returned to their previous jobs leaving me to deal with Agent Schaffer on what might be our last case all by myself. And let me tell you what a joy that was. But I did meet the two who normally held their positions. The strangely happy and quirky Dr. Hodgins, and his rather pregnant, and lovely wife, Angela. I liked them, and they liked me. Which apparently was a good sign for my continued stay here, according to Angela at least, and Dr. Saroyan didn't disagree.

She was already in her office when I got there on Monday. It looked a little strange with the light on and someone in there. I went to my station setting my things down attempting to summon the courage to go in there and disturb her work. I'd checked my email, had a grad student pull another skeleton from limbo, and forwarded my findings on our current case to Schaffer. When I couldn't put it off any longer so as I stood took a deep breath and walked over to her office.

I knocked and she looked up expectantly, "Dr. Brennan, I'm…"

"Dr. Halverson." She finished standing and coming over to shake my hand. "It's been several years since we've last met." I didn't know what to say, I was under the impression she hadn't wanted to talk me at all at the time. "I was just reading Cam's update on your work here. She says you've been quiet helpful in my absence and the FBI believes you've been a suitable replacement."

Her clam demeanor threw me for a moment, "Yes. Actually, that was what I was here to talk to you about. I realize that you are here and would like to take up your old position, but I would like to talk to you about finishing out the year here, continuing both my work with Agent Schaffer and in modular skeleton storage."

She went and settled behind her desk busily clicking through things on her computer. "Well for now that would be acceptable for now, the FBI believes you're doing something right so you can continue your work with Agent Schaffer. Agent Booth and I will be returning to the field next week. We can work out logistics later." And with that I sensed I was being dismissed, so I went to work on the limbo skeleton.

The week ticked by with little interaction between Dr. Brennan and myself as she spent the week trying to reorganize her life and resituate herself. And I'd yet to meet Agent Booth, that was until Thursday when he came bounding up onto the platform, with his own key card. "Bones we have a case… You're not Bones," He stated confused.

And that was when I knew why there were so many rumors. I snapped of the gloves extending my hand to introduce myself when I heard her behind me. "No she's not Bones Booth this is Dr. Halverson she's been working with the FBI in our absence."

"It's nice to meet you." He smiled and shook my hand. Then he turned to her smiling. "Alright Bones lets go it's our first case back."

Hands on her hips, she tilted her head looking at him, seemingly upset with him. "Booth we're not going into the field until next week, we agreed."

"But Bones… It's our first case we can't turn it down because it's a few days early." He whined.

"Yes, I can if you're really itching to go out into the field early you can take Dr. Halverson with you." And then she turned and strode off the platform.

"Bones! Come on." He turned to me. "I'm sorry I just…" I waved him off and he went after her. I stood on the platform and watched him attempt to convince her that she needed to come to the body recover. I wasn't alone for long as Drs. Saroyan and Hodgins, plus Angela joined me.

"I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this." Angela sighed folding her hands on her swollen stomach. We stood and watched for a few moments longer until it was evident that he was winning because she was gathering her things, and so we dispersed.

They both came out of the office, "Dr. Halverson please grab your things, and call Agent Schaffer you'll be accompanying us on this investigation." And that was that, I was scrambling to catch up with them.

For the next week was spent simultaneously trying to catch up with them, and trying to understand where they got their reputation. The seemed to know each other extremely well and yet they were incredibly scared of pushing what seemed to be pre-determined boundaries. It was constantly uncomfortable to be with, and I couldn't imagine that this had been their working dynamic before they'd left.

And yet they solved it. Schaffer and I couldn't do anything in comparison to them every lead we followed was a dead end, every theory we postulated was useless. And despite the fact that they seemed to be extremely uncomfortable together, they solved it. They and their team solved it, and Schaffer and I were left to watch on the sidelines.

At the end of the case, the entire team went to the Founding Fathers for a drink everyone was sitting together laughing and joking. Dr. Brennan even managed to offer a complement on my work, telling me that she would be pleased to have me continue working with them for now. Agent Booth had nothing to say to Schaffer whom he'd constant butted heads with over the case. Eventually Angela announced that she was worn out and so her and Hodgins left, Dr. Saroyan went home, and I gathered my things stopping in the restroom before heading to the nearest metro stop.

I emerged pulling on my coat to see the two partners smiling at each other. He was laughing and she had an amused half smile as she chuckled along with him. But it was that moment that explained every rumor that I'd ever heard about their relationship. Ok so they hadn't both declared their undying love upon their return but who could blame them. They'd been apart for over a year.

I finished buttoning up my jacket and left. Okay so maybe I didn't get to see the whole story, but at least I'd get to see the end. And who doesn't love a happy ending?

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**I'm not going to lie to you I had more on the end but decided that this was fair enough because what came next while realistic for the shows writers, I could leave out because I love happy endings and it is definitely where I wanted to stop.**

**Because I love all of you, and because this isn't another analysis fic of the future, I would absolutely with out a doubt love to hear from every one of you.**

**Just so you know extreme fluff is up next.  
**

**Babyrose  
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	37. Complete and Utter Fluff

**So I believe extreme fluff was promised, and I like to keep my promises. So please make an appointment with your dentist because this is disgustingly sweet, but I hope it makes you smile. This is in the future and completely divorced of the end of season five, it's pure simple fluff. Personally I'm blaming the inspiration on way to many reruns of _Say Yes to the Dress_. Which I don't own, but then again I don't own _Bones_.**

**I was going to rename it something that fit the story and then I decided that this was quite literally the most appropriate title.  
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Complete and Utter Fluff

I sat at my desk staring at thousands of magazine clippings of bridal gowns. I was supposed to be figuring out which one I liked best, so that the consultant would have somewhere to start from at my appointment on Friday. Why on earth you had to make an appointment to try on dresses was beyond me, but then again that's why Angela had orchestrated it.

My eyes were beginning to ache and there was a dull throb in the back of my skull. I groaned to myself and lowered my head onto the desk. Upon hearing that I'd said yes when Booth had proposed, and that we were planning to elope, Angela had immediately vetoed and set about planning it herself. So far, it wasn't too out of control, it was going to be a fairly small gathering in the Jeffersonian's gardens with a reception to follow. The only thing as far as I could tell that hadn't been done was the wedding dress, not without trying on Angela's part. For months she'd pestered me to make appointment and go. But I didn't, I guess it was my way of protesting the insanity of it all. But then she'd been a constant annoyance telling me every day that I couldn't get married without a dress, so I'd finally relented and agreed to an appointment, mostly because we were out of time.

"Bones?... Bones? What are you doing?" I heard him cross my office, but couldn't bring myself to look up at him. He picked one of Angela's many clippings off the table. "Wow. How many of them are there?"

I looked up to find him stupidly smiling as he looked at one particularly weird dress; it had feathers all over it. "I would estimate that there's about 200 of them and I haven't been able to decide anything."

"Bones, how hard can it be you go try on a few dresses and pick one you like."

"I wish it were that easy. There's A-line or princess, sweetheart or off the shoulder, lace or satin, and that's barely the beginning. Angela has done nearly everything else, why can't she just pick the dress too?" I asked completely serious.

He leaned over the desk stopping inches from my face, "Because it's your wedding dress Bones." And then he kissed me.

He stood back up as I stacked the magazine cutouts. "That aside, she planned our wedding when I didn't want a wedding."

"Well think about it Bones…" He pulled out his poker chip and started flipping it in the air taking a seat on the couch as I packed up. "This way your dad, Russ and his girls, Cam and Michelle, Sweets, Angela, Hodgins, Caroline… do I need to go on? Can all come."

I was giving him that stare I had for him when he was making a ridiculous argument, "Well that's a ridiculous argument Booth given that Angela and Hodgins got married in jail and then they didn't bother to tell us for a week."

"Ah." He pointed a finger at me, "but they already had a wedding that we all went to, they just didn't get married, heck they had a really big wedding."

"But they didn't get married." I tried to reason with him.

"That time. And let's face it, we celebrated their relationship the first time, we haven't had a wedding. And Bones celebrating our relationship is something we should definitely do."

I picked up my bag and met him at the door, trying to scowl, and failing rather miserably because it was hard when he, well cheesy as it is we, was happy. "Fine. I still don't want to go dress shopping; I don't like going shopping normally why would I be excited to go shopping for something I'm only going to wear once."

He saunters up to me, his damn charm smile plastered on his face, stopping when we were toe to toe. "Yeah but Bones it's the dress you get to wear on the day we're getting married. Which were only doing once."

"Stop smiling or I'm going to make you come with me and sit in a bridal salon with organza and tulle everywhere." I tapped him on the chest, with the threat.

He shrugged, "Angela would never allow it, and I'm sure you have some anthropological mumbo jumbo about the groom not seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding."

"You're lucky you're cute." I kissed him, "Can we go get some dinner now. I apparently need to decide on some dress details before Friday."

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"Angela you didn't just make an appointment you booked the salon for the entire afternoon." I gasped when Cam, Angela, and I arrived to find the salon empty and a very patient consultant waiting.

"Sweetie, you need a dress in two months and you haven't tried anything on yet, so yes we have the whole afternoon to find you a dress and that's it. Don't look at me like that, this was the only thing you had to do by yourself and you didn't so we're doing it my." And she sat down on the couch, and began pulling things out of her purse; it looked like more magazine clippings.

The consultant was tolerant to the fact that I had no ideas, wasn't really all that concerned about budget, and wasn't really all that enthusiastic. Angela gave the consultant all sorts of ideas I'm sure, and Cam calmly flipped through one of the magazines while I wandered the store to see if anything sparked my interested. The consultant went about pulling dresses and carrying them back to a dressing room. Angela and Cam, both joined me Cam pulling one dress out, Angela pulling out three, while I found nothing that sparked my interest.

Sarah, the consultant, was amazingly calm despite the fact that when she took me back to the fitting room there must have been thirty odd dresses. She assured me that I didn't have to try them all on she'd just taken everything she thought might possibly work, and could be ready in time.

And so I stripped and we started. Some were so ridiculous that I showed Cam and Angela for a laugh, other's I couldn't even bring myself to show them. There were plenty that were ok, some that I even liked but Angela wouldn't just let me by one. "Brennan, you're not supposed to just like the dress you're suppose to love it. So until you come out beaming and excited about a dress it's not it." She insisted, Cam offered no help in the matter telling me that there was no point in arguing with Angela. Back to the dressing room, again.

I was contemplating the twenty-third dress, trying to decide how I felt about it. It wasn't my favorite so far; when the Sarah disappeared and came back carrying one more dress. I looked at her pleading her to make it stop and she just smiled, telling me that one more dress was the answer.

She undid the clips and buttons on the dress I was wearing, and helped me out of the tulle explosion before unzipping the bag and pulling out the cream dress. She made me face away from the mirror as I stepped into it. She did the buttons up and then she insisted on getting accessories to go with it. Sliding what I believe was a comb covered in pearls into my hair and a fussy little net to go over my face. She finally told me that I could turn around.

Dress twenty-four was it. As un-scientific and completely impossible as it was that one dress was better than the other ones, there was. Something about that dress. All the sudden I was excited for the wedding because I could see him standing at the other end of the aisle, and I felt the sense of finally that everyone else must already be feeling. I wiped away the lone tear that was trying to escape and nodded to the nervous sales woman, who was quietly waiting praise. "Angela was right, apparent there is the one… but then again she was right about their being someone for everyone." I sighed, "I should really just start listening to her."

I walked out into the salon and Cam was the first to react as Angela was looking at more dresses. "Brennan, wow that is stunning." Angela smiled and clapped her hands together, "Now what did I tell you."

That night I slipped into bed, after the celebratory drinks to having everything in order, and Booth pulled me to him. "Did you find a dress?" He asked into the back of my neck.

"Yeah" I sighed, "I did."

"Glad to hear it. It wasn't that bad was it?" He kissed the back of my neck.

"You've clearly never tried on twenty ball gowns." I smiled.

"Well you found one." He said sleepily. "That's what matters."

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He pulled me to him on the dance floor. "So I haven't had a chance to tell you yet but this dress Bones…" He leans in and whispers in my ear, "There are no words for how absolutely stunning it is."

I pulled back to look him in the eyes, our faces inches apart, as I stroked the back of his neck. "You think so?"

He nodded, "When you came down the aisle I couldn't help but thinking that it didn't really matter everything else that happened and we went through, because it all lead to the most beautiful woman in the world marrying me." He dipped me earning applause from the crowd. "And now despite how beautiful you look in this absolutely amazing dress, I really just want to take it off you Mrs. Booth."

As he righted us, I kissed him, "its still Dr. Brennan, Booth." I settled my head on his shoulder and his arms tightened around me.

"I know Bones, but when it's just you and me, I get to celebrate the fact that you're my wife."

I chuckled smiling and inhaling his scent, "You're lucky I love you."

"Don't I know it?"

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**Well it's silly I know, let me know what you think, before you see you dentist.**

**More fluff coming up.**

**Baby Rose.  
**


	38. Camping

**So I'm sorry about the extreme delay in updates but Erwin, my trusty laptop, committed suicide. The hard drive is dead, taking with it the one shot that was so adorable and nearly done. Fortunately the wonderful people at Geek squad believe that they will be able to salvage my documents inculding all my papers, stories, and music so that's a relief. Now I just have to buy a new computer. Fortunately it's summer time so I don't desperately need one right away so I'm waiting for a sale. **

**Any way this saga mean updates are confined to when I can borrow my mom's computer. That being said, I am delievering some extreme fluff. It actually involves marshmallows, and is told by the most adorable kid in the world Parker. I still don't own Bones, but I have decided to play with them everyonce in a while.**

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Camping

"Hi Dad!" I climbed into my dad's truck. It's Friday. Finally.

We have a three day weekend from school and I was with dad for all of it! He'd promised to take me camping. Which means s'mores, campfires, hiking, exploring, fishing, and card games. I love it when he takes me camping because he does stuff that I actually want to do. When mom and Brent take me they just want to read, there's no exploring or anything fun. Sometimes all we do is a boring nature walks where mom ooh's and awe's over the stupid flowers.

It wasn't until I was buckled in the car that I realized Bones was in the front seat. "Hiya Bones!" Bones, Dr. Brennan, is dad's partner at work. We call her Bones though because she works with bones, and she is one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world. When I was nine I really wanted, dad to have a girlfriend so we could use her pool, and she just let us have the key to her pool and said that we could use it whenever we wanted. Awesome? Yes. But then she and Dad left for a year, which majorly sucked. But they're back now and we get to use the pool again.

"Hi Parker. How are you?" She turned in her seat to look at me as dad drove. One thing I forgot to tell you, not only is Bones is one of the nicest people I know, but she is also the prettiest. So I understand why Dad really likes her, and a mean really likes her. When they first came back I didn't see Bones often, but things seem like they are back to normal now. Any way she listened to me talk about my day, quizzing me about the things I'd learned. Then asked me about the science project she'd helped me with a few weeks ago and about the book she knew I was reading. That was one of the things I loved about her, she really cared about what I was doing and was interested in me, and not just pretending to be interested like some adults.

Dad asked if it was alright if she came with us to the Diner for dinner. Of course I said yes, because if she's there I can usually talk dad into a milkshake, that and she's really cool.

At dinner dad and I told her about our planned trip. We were leaving in the morning and would come back Monday. I told her about the place we were going. There was huge lake for fishing and a mountain we were going to climb. Plus we were going exploring in the forest, and best of all we were going to make s'mores.

And then she told me the most unbelievable think that I had ever heard. She'd never had a s'more. Dad and I looked at her like she was completely crazy. How does anyone get to be that old and have never had a s'more. It turned out she's never been camping. She kept going on about going to dig sites with her skeletons, and sleeping in tents and how she's been hiking. But she's never been camping. I decided this needed to be fixed immediately, so when Bones went to the bathroom I asked dad if she could come. He looked really excited for a moment. And then said that we didn't have room for her in the tent. Which was silly because we have a four man tent and even with Bones that's only three people. He finally relented saying we could ask her, but she's a busy women and she'd probably say no.

She came back from the bathroom taking a final sip of her milkshake. "Thanks for dinner, are you guys ready to go?"

"Yeah. Bones what are you doing this weekend?" I asked her as we left the Diner.

"I was going to work on my next book this weekend." She answered calmly holding the door open.

"Well, do you want to come camping with us?"

She looked shocked, "I… well…" She looked at dad, "Are you sure you guys have room." Dad nodded. "Well I don't want to intrude on your time together."

"Bones," I whined a little hoping that would help convince her to come. "We really want to you to come."

She paused, looking back and forth between the two of us. I put on the best puppy dog eyes I could. Before she sighed and smiled. "Well I guess you two should take me home so that I can pack."

I jumped up, "Yes! Oh Bones we're going to have soo much fun you have no idea." Dad laughed and we drove her to her apartment promising to pick her up at 8 the next morning for our camping adventure. And then we went home to pack our stuff.

The next morning she was standing at the curb where we'd left her the night before in jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap on her head and a duffel and sleeping bag at her feet. And we loaded up and drove off to Virginia. She listened with me to the _Harry Potter_ book on CD and when it finished as I drifted off to sleep I could hear her and dad talking, just like they used too.

Dad woke me up when we got to the campsite and I helped them unpack the car. While dad and I set up the tent Bones made us lunch. After lunch we taught Bones how to play a bunch of different card games, because she hardly knew any. Although we stopped when she was doing better than Dad and I were. Dad and I went down to the lake to go fishing, we were only catching and releasing the fish but it was still fun. Bones didn't want to fish but she brought her camera and her book and came with us to the lake. She read for a while and then she stared snapping pictures of the lake and the mountains, and then of dad and I. Eventually we abandoned fishing and dad was taking pictures of the two of us until she splashed him with water. Then dad set down the camera and started chasing after her. I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures of them, including when he finally caught her and pick her up before they both collapsed on the beach laughing.

That night we made dinner on the fire and we got to introduce Bones to s'mores. "So I put a marshmallow on the stick and hold it over the fire, until its golden brown?" She asked, not sure it would work.

Dad laughed at her. "Yeah Bones you're a scientist it should be that hard." And he held his own marshmallows over the fire turning them slowly.

She copied dad and held hers over the fire, staring intently at it like she was going to miss it turn golden brown. I personally like mine burned so I was trying to light mine on fire, and not having any luck. When I flame jumped out of the embers and caught Bones on fire.

She jump up and started waving it around dad started laughing at her. "Blow it out Bones." He stood up and helped her blow it out.

"It's all brunt and inedible." She pouted sitting back down on the log.

"Give it to Parker, he likes them like that, and then get a couple more marshmallows and I'll help you."

She let me pick the delicious marshmallow off her roasting stick, "Thanks Bones." I giggled as she sighed spearing two more marshmallows.

"This better be worth it Parker."

"Awe Bones they're totally delicious."

Dad showed her the spot over the embers that would allow her to roast the marshmallows. Within a few minutes her marshmallows had blown up and were brown. "Ok so now what."

"Bones! You're marshmallow is going to fall off." It was it was all gooey and oozing its way off her roasting stick. Dad sandwiched the marshmallows between the graham crackers and chocolate.

"There you go Bones, your very first s'more." He handed her the sandwich.

She took a bit chewing it thoughtfully, before smiling. "This is absolutely delicious!" She took another bite and Dad and I laughed at her and then ate our own s'mores as dad told my favorite campfire story.

The next day we went hiking, Bones was great not complaining at all on the hike instead she was trying to get us to go faster. When we finally got to the top of the mountain she took more pictures and even managed to set the camera up to take a picture of the three of us, before we set off back down the mountain.

That Bones and I played card games while dad made dinner. After dinner Bones told us stories from her dig the summer before.

"Can we make s'mores again?" She asked excitedly at the end of her story, since the fire had finally died down enough to make them. Dad looked at her with those lovey dovey eyes, and she smiled back. I thought about it and decided that maybe I should just go to bed. So I yawned and told them I was going to bed and let them roast their marshmallows and be all gross and adult like, without me.

I listen to dad and Bones laugh and talk as they roasted their marshmallows and eat the delicious s'mores. I watched their shadow's as Bones sat down next to dad and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm really glad you invited me this weekend Booth."

"I didn't invite you Parker did."

"Well in that case I'm glad Parker invited me."

"Yeah I am too, Bones. We had fun this weekend."

Then they were quiet and so I fell asleep waiting for them to come into the tent.

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**There you go it's super fluffy. Please let me know what you thought of it, it will make the passing of my beloved computer easier.**

**Babyrose**


	39. This Isn't the Coffee Cart

**Hi everyone! So I know that everyone has written version of the meeting at the coffee cart and I just have a sneaking suspicion that it won't happen like that. The reason I didn't post earlier was I thought that this was going to be longer, but I decided that I like it just like it is.**

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This Isn't the Coffee Cart

It's hot, some might say ungodly hot, but for her it was a change of pace. The heat while extreme was blessedly dry unlike the jungles she'd spent the last year in, and so the desert was a welcome respite. Around her agents milled around, attempting to do something helpful or at a minimum look busy.

She knelt on the packed soil and began brushing dirt away from the skull slowly working her way down the bones. The skeleton was fully articulated, there was still some connective tissue holding the rib cage and pelvis together, despite the massive amounts of damage that both displayed.

Painstakingly she removed the soil under the heat, revealing more damage to the skeleton, who ever this woman was she'd taken a severe beating before she'd died. Around her people slowly collected samples of the soil, and sifted the dirt anything extra in the surrounding soil. Eventually the skeleton was freed from the soil and she over saw the transfer of the remains to a gurney so that it could be carried out of the ravine to the waiting transport truck.

As she waited for enough agents to come down and carry them up she stood over the remains. It had been so long since she'd stood over remains so recent in nearly a year, and yet when she stood over that skeleton she was reminded why she'd gotten into this in the first place. Giving the skeleton a quick examination she made the same promise that she had made on ever case she'd ever worked on. She would find out who that young woman was and what happened to her.

She packed up her tools and followed the gurney up the hillside and as they loaded the skeleton for transport. She slid the borrowed field kit into the trunk of the rental car, and looked out and the scraggly brush that dotted the desert landscape. "What do we know so far?" she heard the voice behind her, so distinctive and familiar, despite the fact that she hadn't heard in person in over a year.

She didn't turn to answer him just yet, looking out at the desert for a few moments longer. "Female, 18 to 25. I would estimate that she's been dead anywhere between 3 months and a year given the condition of the bones, and the climate." She heaved her shoulders and turned to face him, "And before she died she took quite a beating." I looked at him for a minute. "This isn't exactly the coffee cart by the reflecting pool."

"Well ok it's not D.C., and definitely not the national mall but I brought the coffee." He smiled handing me a cup of coffee. "That and it's a little earlier than we planned, but it'll have to do."

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**Well what did you think? Any bets on how the season will start?**

**Let me know**

**Babyrose**


	40. Fight or Flight

**Hi all! I know that it's been a while since I update this for a number of reasons that I won't bore you with. Anyway here is a new one shot for you, it's a little angsty. But I don't know I just see something like this happening. I started it and ended it with a voice over, like the season 4 finale, something about the concept really worked for this. At least for me, you'll have to tell me how you feel about it.**

**Still don't own um, although if I did then I would have a job and wouldn't have to worry about finding one after graduation.  
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Fight or Flight

**Voice over**

Fight or Flight…

Fight or flight, it's a natural human response to both emotional and psychical stress. When confronted with a stress we either run, putting as much distance between ourselves and the threat as possible, or we fight, eliminating the threat.

When asked most people would say that when faced with a threat that their instinct is to fight, to face the threat head on. Those that admit that they are more prone to run, are more truthful. However, the truth of the matter is that our instinct is to stand and fight in some instances, and run in others. The instances that trigger the response often have uniform responses.

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The case was lack luster barely even interesting, mostly just frustrating. So when he took me to the Founding Fathers for a celebratory drink I couldn't help but think that there was a hidden reason for our solo excursion to the bar. But I didn't say anything as he order his usual beer and a glass of wine for me. We chatted about harmless things, the boring details of the case, his last weekend with Parker, my upcoming book release, and the weekend.

His bottle was nearly empty, when he took a deep breath and stared at me for a moment I knew that whatever it was that I had sensed earlier was coming now. "Bones…" he said quietly.

"Booth…" I countered lightly, trying to keep the mood from plummeting.

"I put in the paper work for a transfer." He said quietly looking back at his bottle. Whatever I had been expecting, this was not it.

I know it's not psychically possible, but it felt like my heart stopped momentarily. "Why?" I breathed. We'd done it all in the last seven years and I thought that maybe we would be ok now. But it appeared that I was wrong.

"I just think that it's time for a permanent change." He looked up from the beer bottle, "Even after a year apart…" he grimaced now, "I haven't been able to move on, Bones. I'm not able to move on if I'm always looking forward to working with you, seeing you. It was better when I was in Afghanistan, but I still knew that I was coming back to you… As long as you're part of the equation Bones I can't move on."

"I don't understand." Things were suppose to be normal now, we were supposed to have figured everything out, not that we had, but we'd both been struggling so hard to keep appearances normal, that I was beginning to believe that things were normal.

He laid a hand over mine, "Yes you do Bones. I love you Bones. I want a life with you Bones, and you told me that you didn't want that, and so I've been trying to move on but as long as we're here together it won't happen."

"Booth," I realized that there had been a huge mis-communication between us "I never said I didn't want those things just that I couldn't give you what you need, that I'm not capable of it."

"And there we will have to disagree." He told me calmly and sadly, "I know that you are more than capable of all of the things that you think you aren't. But as long as we disagree there is no future here so I need to separate myself from the situation… permanently."

I couldn't argue, all I could feel was my world coming apart around me, rather than little bits falling off, it was being ripped apart at the seams. "Where?" was all I could manage to ask.

"I leave for the L.A. field office in two weeks, I have some loose ends to tie up at the office and then I have a week or so to pack and get everything sent out."

"So that was it, that was our last case. That incredibly tedious, awful case is the end." I said bitterly, it hadn't even been interesting, just annoying and that was the note that he was going to leave on.

"Unless the bureau catches another case that only we can solve yeah that was the last one. They're looking at getting you a new liaison."

"I won't work with anyone but you."

"Yeah I told them that." He chuckled a little trying to lighten the mood.

I took a deep breath trying to remind myself that he needed to look out for himself too, that I wanted him to be happy more than anything else in the world. "Do you want any help packing?" I asked, that was what a friend would do offer to help them move, even if they couldn't really bare to see them go.

He looked genuinely surprised by that offer. "Yeah Bones I would really appreciate that." He squeezed my hand before standing. "I need to get going I'll call you about lunch on Monday." With that, he brushed a kiss over my cheek and then pulled on his leather jacket and left me sitting at the table pondering what was happening.

The week past uneventfully, I work on skeletons from limbo and my depression began to get deeper with every day. I notice that the interns were no longer working with me, Cam had told them to give me room, mostly for their sakes I would assume. But the thought that people assumed I wouldn't be able to do my job, just made it worse.

The next week I put on a brave face and helped him pack smiling as he tried to keep the mood light packing joking about the things that had happened over our partnership. The façade vanished as soon as I threw the deadbolt on my door into place turning and sliding down the door staring into space and my brain kept telling me over and over that he was really going to leave permanently. I wanted to be normal and bawl my eyes out for all the things that I couldn't promise him and wanted to, for all the broken promises, for all time I'd spent in Indonesia trying to get my head around it. The tears never came.

At some point I'd gone into my room, and fallen in to a fitful sleep, every nightmare of him dying I'd ever had plaguing me, along with ones of his and my parents abandonment. Rousing fears of being unlovable. The pounding on my door and Angela's threats to call the fire department if I didn't answer roused me and I went to let her in.

When the door swung open she froze taking in my disheveled appearance before she brushed passed me and the tirade began again. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" She angrily demanded.

I just looked at her for a moment, "Ange what do you mean."

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing just letting him leave?" She lifted an eyebrow awaiting my answer.

It was her question that caused the dam to break and tears just started running uncontrollably down my face. "I can't give him what he needs… I'll just ened up hurting him" I choked out. "I have to let him go."

Her face softened a little bit but the anger didn't fade. "That's bullshit Sweetie and you know it." Her arms relaxed. "The only thing that he needs is you, what's it going to take for you to realize that. He doesn't want anything more than that."

I hugged myself sliding down the nearest wall. "I'm not sure I can give him that."

She huffed rather loudly coming to sit next to me putting an arm around me. "Sweetie I wish you could see yourself sometimes. Before he came around you were a lab rat, you couldn't communicate with normal people. You only saw the world through your little anthropological window. And I know you will hate me momentarily for saying this, but that's a really tiny window. And then he came around and you really got to spread your wings, you got to be part of the world and not just observe it."

She squeezed my shoulders, "You probably don't even see it now but you orient yourself to him, and he to you. It's nothing overt but it's the little things he does like escort you everywhere, or when you straighten his tie." I wrinkle my brow. "See you don't even notice it. But I promise you it's there and it's clear to everyone."

"What's clear to everyone?"

"That you love him as much as he does you, but that scares you." She looked at me for a moment. "Let's put this in terms you might understand. Anthropologically we humans are programmed to fight or run, right?

"Yes it's call the fight or flight response, but what does this have to do with Booth leaving?"

"Well you can either run from this emotional threat like you've both done time and time and again, which frankly sweetie has gotten really old. Or you can fight your natural instincts and fight for him like he has for you." We sat against the wall for a few moments letting her words sink in.

She looked at her watch. "His flight is in 5 hours so he'll probably be clearing security in 4. It's up to you Brennan. Fight or flight?" She kissed my forehead and then left me sitting against the wall.

Three hours and forty-five minutes later, I tore through the main terminal at Regan trying to get the security line. When I spotted him a fresh wave of panic tore threw me urging myself to turn around to let him go that I couldn't risk it. But for once, I fought the natural reaction and ran after the one thing that I truly wanted.

"Booth" I called out causing him to turn on the spot. I only had a second to register that his face was utter confusion before I slammed into him burying my head in the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped around me just as fiercely.

I lifted my head to look at him. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. I love you. I love you." I repeated.

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**Voice over**

Fight or Flight…

Fight or flight, it is a preprogrammed response for stress triggers, emotional or psychical. We will naturally run or fight. And we will rarely ever question that response, even if it is to turn and run.

But sometimes… sometimes, it is vital to ignore your basic instincts to run and instead turn and fight.

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**Well what did you think?  
**

**Now if you in the mood for something decidedly happier you should go over to my knew one shot collection, _Splashes of Smiles,_ which are all short fluffy one shots designed to put a smile on your face**

**Peace out girl/cub scouts**

**Babyrose  
**


	41. Maternity Ward

**Ok so this took forever to write, absolutely forever. It was on my old computer and it took the orginal with it and I was trying to get this to the same quality as the original I think I was successful. Now warning if you're trying to stay completely spoiler free don't read this as I inculded the only spoiler we really have so far. This is fluffy even if it doesn't start out that way. **

**Still don't own bones, it's not my story to tell, i just play with the possibilities.**

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Maternity Ward

_Baby's coming! Meet us at GW._

That was the text message that came through when I was in the interrogation room with the suspect by myself for the fifth case in a row. We came back from the various corners of the world, and we'd picked up right where we left off... Almost.

We were working together as a team again, so that was good, but otherwise things felt just a little bit off. Angela and Hodgins had come back from Paris as happy as can be, expecting a baby due sometime in the month after Bones and I came back. Bones and I didn't go back to normal however. She used every excuse in the book about needing to stay in the lab. Everything from inappropriate shoes, to trying to catch up on limbo cases. It didn't matter what I did she stayed in the lab trying to limit our interaction, or at least insuring that there were always others around when we were together.

It was starting to grate on my nerves, but I figured that she needed to readjust herself to the city, her friends, her work, and me. Because things had changed in that year apart but it didn't stop me from being aggravated.

I snapped the phone shut glaring at the suspect across the table, then time for games was over, I needed to get going and to do that I needed a confession. It didn't take more than five minutes before he was sobbing that he didn't mean it and it was an accident, he hadn't meant to kill his best friend.

Within the hour the elevator doors were opening on the maternity floor of George Washington, to Cam flipping through a magazine, Sweets looking extremely uncomfortable as Angela's dad talked to him. And Bones pacing the waiting room looking extremely worried for some reason.

"Bones what's wrong?"

She stopped to stare at me, "There you are. What took you so long we've been here for an hour already."

"Calm down Bones I was getting out suspect to confess and then there was traffic, I take it I didn't miss anything since you're still out here."

She looked at me as though she'd never heard me say a single rational thing before now, "I suppose you're right." She stopped twisting her phone in her hands, "Hodgins did just tell us that the doctor thinks it will be a few hours still."

"Ok see there's plenty of time, why don't we go get everyone some coffee and then I brought the paper work for the last case we can fill it out while we wait for baby Hodgins to join us. Ok?" I glance up the other three indicating that they would appreciate a cup of coffee.

She nodded and followed me on to the elevator. "What's going on Bones you're a little stressed out for what should be a happy occasion."

She shrugged her shoulders staring at the elevator wall, "I don't know I guess it just struck me how much everything has changed in the last year or so. Everything is different, our partnership," I gritted my teeth at that, "you have Emily, Angela and Hodgins are married and having a baby…" She looked up, "They're having a baby." She smiled as we approached the coffee kiosk in the hospitals entrance."

Hours later Bones and I stood looking into the nursery, at the pink bundle in the middle with her Hodgins name tag just barely visible. Everyone else had already left promising to visit baby and mom when they were more up to it. "She's beautiful, Hodgins and Angela are really lucky." She said with a sad smile. She looked at me, "You're lucky too you know… to have Parker." She looked back at the nursery. She heaved a sigh, "Well I should get going." And she turned to leave, but something about what she'd just said bugged me.

I grabbed her hand as she pasted me preventing her from leaving. "Bones you don't still wanted to have a baby do you?"

She squeezed my hand gently, "You should getting going too Booth I'm sure that Emily is worried about you." And with that she left me standing at the window looking in at babies trying to figure out where her head was at.

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_Help! I'm at home._

About six months later that was the message that I received, no indication what it was about. Which of course left me panicked about her, causing me to rush from the empty apartment that I was still trying to adjust to. It was just me again.

Within twenty minutes, I was banging on her door. What I was not expecting was her to open the door with a screaming infant in her arms. Her hair had been pulled hastily up and pieces were escaping everywhere, her makeup was smudged, and she had what appear to be baby food all over her shirt. But when she realized it was me at the door relief washed over her face. "Oh thank god you're here; she hasn't stopped crying for hours. I don't know what to do."

I walked into the apartment relieved that there was nothing actually wrong besides a fussy baby. "Give her here; let's see if Uncle Booth can get her to quiet down."

She passed me the wailing infant, "I didn't mean take you away from your weekend with Emily, but I didn't know who else to call. Angela and Hodgins are gone for the weekend, and I've tried everything. I feed her and burped her, changed her diaper, rocked her, sung to her, tried to play with her and she just keeps crying." She rattled off desperately.

"Bones its ok, go take a minute, I'll get her to settle down don't worry." I said rocking back and forth on my heels.

She took a deep breath and nodded thank you, turning to go down the hall to her bedroom. Closing the door behind her. I looked down at the baby, "Are you giving you're Aunty Bones a hard time?" Her crying had stopped now she was merely whimpering.

I walked done to the guest bedroom to see that there was a bassinet set up in the room, a baby monitor, and a bag full of clothes. I pulled out something to change her into and changed her before settling her in the bassinet picking up the monitor and leaving the room.

I went out into the kitchen, where she was making coffee. "How'd you do that? She's been crying for hours." She had changed into a clean shirt, brushed her hair up into a neat knot and fixed her makeup. She still looked tired; she probably hasn't been sleeping well if she's had the baby all weekend.

"I didn't do anything she'd just worn herself out she'll probably sleep for a while. What about you? You look a little worn out."

She pulled two cups from the cupboard and poured the coffee. "I haven't been sleeping well lately, and obviously Rose's sleeping patterns aren't the same as mine, but I'm fine." She handed me the cup. "Thanks for coming anyway; I really am sorry about pulling you away from your weekend with Emily. I guess it just proves that I'm not cut out to be a mother."

I waved a hand, "Bones you're being ridiculous, you're going to make a great mother. You needed help and you asked for it it's not a bad thing." I took a deep breath knowing I should just tell her, she'd been my relationships biggest cheerleader, even if everyone else was always giving me a weird look. "Emily left this morning, she's moving back to New York."

She suddenly looked genuinely upset for me, reaching out to put a comforting hand on my wrist. "I'm sorry Booth. What happened?"

I took a sip before grabbing the monitor and motioning her to follow me into her living room. Taking a seat on the couch I sighed, "We tried, but things are different here, we're different her and she couldn't fit herself into my life here in the way she wanted and I couldn't adjust to make it work for her. She said she couldn't compete." I left out the part where she said she couldn't compete with Dr. Brennan, but Bones didn't need to know that.

We sat in comfortable silence finishing our coffee when she yawned. "Bones go take a nap." I told her talking the cup from her hands. "I'll stay and watch some TV in case Rose wakes up but you need some sleep."

"Are you sure?" She asked I just nodded; she kissed me on my cheek and went down into her room.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I knew was I could hear her in the kitchen cooing to Rose about dinner. I rubbed my eyes getting off the couch to see her serving Chinese food one handedly and she bounced the now smiling baby on her hip. I smiled and the picture knowing in my mind that this was what Emily couldn't compete with. She must have sensed me because she turned spoon in hand, and smiled back at me.

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_Baby's coming! Meet us at GW._

This is the second time I've received this message while I've been in the interrogation room without my partner. This time however I wasn't letting her in, I fact I'd banned her from coming into the field with me or going anywhere but the lab, where Cam had banished her from everything accept for her office.

I looked across the table at the woman twiddling her thumbs daring me to try and break her. But at this point, I didn't care. I stood leaving the woman bewildered behind we as I rushed to my office telling Charlie to take her to holding until I could hand the case off to some on else. I tore out of the building flipping on the siren and lights allowing me to race down Constitution.

Parking illegally, I ran into the hospital choosing the stairs instead of the elevator to get to the maternity ward. Cam was waiting for me when I got there; I tossed her the truck keys as she told me the room number, asking her to move it for me.

I came to a skidding stop outside her room, knocking tentatively. Angela opened it with a grin on her face, "Hey there big guy." She led me into the room where Bones was climbing into bed.

"There you are. What took you so long?" She sighed exasperated

"Long. I only got the message ten minutes ago you can't have been here much longer."

Angela laughed behind me, "We've only been here long enough to be given a room Booth you're fine. I'm going to go call Jack and the nanny." And she left the room.

"How are you doing Bones?" I asked taking her hand in mine pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm fine the con…." A contraction stopped her sentence as she gritted her teeth against the pain. When it had passed she continue, "The contractions are still ten minutes apart, the doctor hasn't even been in yet."

"Ok are you still want to do this without pain killers, you really don't have to." I pleaded with her not wanting to see her in any pain.

"Booth" she sighed in the way she does every time we've had this argument, "women gave birth for centuries without drugs and still do in many parts of the world." I was still worried about her and she must have seen on my face because she squeezed my hand lovingly, "I'm going to be just fine, and if I change my mind trust me you'll be the first to know."

"Promise?"

"Promise, now go get a chair we're going to be here a while and you don't need to spend the whole time standing.

Hours later Bones was sleeping as I sat in the room's rocking chair rocking our own pink bundle. She had her fingers wrapped around my index finger, as I rocked. "Hey." I heard her sleepily from the bed.

I stood moving as smoothly as possible to the bed. "Bones, I'd like you to properly meet Isabella Christine Brennan." I slide Bella into her arms.

"Isabella Christine Booth, her last name is Booth." She smiled at the bundle running her finger down our baby's nose, oblivious to my grin. "She has your nose." She whispered as she slid over to make room for me on the bed allowing me to sit next to her and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"I think she looks like her mom, hun Bella baby, you look like your mom don't you?" I asked my daughter, her only response was to yawn.

"She still has your nose." Bones looked at me, "bones are my expertise." She smiled

"I love you." I smiled and kissed her. She just smiled back as I looked down at Bella who was staring you at us expectantly. "Yes I do beautiful Bella I love your mommy, almost as much as I love you."

I could feel her looking at me still, so I looked up at her she was smiling but there was a tear rolling down her cheek, "I don't tell you enough… I love you." She said before she tucked her head under my chin and looked at our daughter.

"I never doubted it, and neither will she. Bella here will always know that mommy and daddy love each other."

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**Ok what did you think?**

**Also I'm looking to round out this collection with an even fifty before the season starts but I need some ideas, so if there's anything you'd like to see let me know and I'll give it a go.  
**

**On a different note I saw fox's trailer that's promoting the new season and there's only a really short clip but it seems to me that we're in for more of a roller coaster than we've ever speculated on.**

**Baby rose  
**


	42. Mocking Bird

**So this piece came so easily that I decided I should just post it and give you a double dose of updates. Now this was inspired by Rob Thomas' Mocking bird but it isn't a song fic, and doesn't really having anything to do with it.**

**It's not mine.**

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Mocking Bird

"I love you."

"Excuse me?..." I skidded to halt in the FBI hallway praying that I had misheard her and that she had said something completely different.

"I love you." She stated clearly, "Angela would say that I'm in love with you, but I don't know any discernible differences between the two sayings."

I stood staring at her speechless for a few moments. Eventually I got myself together enough to close my mouth, and realized she was waiting for me to say something. "You decided to tell me now right before we go into the interrogation room, why?"

"You need all the facts before you make any life altering decisions and I thought that you should know that I love you. I didn't think that it would be responsible to wait any longer." She stated rationally like she was conducting an experiment.

"And what do you want me to do with this information?" seriously curious about her intent.

"That is up to you, but right now we have a case to close, so can we please go interrogate the suspect." And she brushed past me into the interrogation room. I closed my eyes for a moment wishing that everything was normal for just a second before taking a deep breath and following her in.

She left the Hoover after he'd confessed and before I'd even had a chance to book him. I tried to find her at the lab, but she'd left for the afternoon. She didn't answer her cell phone and didn't pick up at home. With lack of a better way to process what she'd told me I ended up crossing over to the national mall walking towards the monument as the sun set on the nation's capital. I walked to the Lincoln and back before I resolved that I should at least go home, as I had a girl friend waiting. Who given the hour was probably worried about me, but not calling because she was trying not to be too pushy.

I was right about her waiting for me but she wasn't worried about me instead she was waiting with a bag by the door. "She told you?" she asked

I closed the door and leaned against it looking at the beautiful woman that it had been easy with. She gave me everything I thought I wanted and gave it easily, she was perfect and yet nothing had ever felt quite right about it for me. But I kept working at it because it would be right one day. That was until Bones had told me she loved me. "How'd you know?"

"It's been written all over her face since I met her." She said with out any indication of hurt. "And it's been obvious that you've been trying to get over her since we came back."

"I never meant to hurt you." I was trying to apologize I'd led this beautiful wonderful woman on for way to long.

She stood coming to stand in front of me. "You didn't Seeley. Ok maybe a little bit, but I'm not stupid. Either you were both going to move on and it was going to work for us or she would finally figure it out and tell you." She sighed, "When you didn't come home tonight and Cam called looking for you I knew that she'd finally said something."

"So you decided to leave just like that?"

"No I decided weeks ago that if it came to this I would let you decide, but over those weeks I think I know your answer."

"I could stop you from leaving?"

"Only if you really wanted me too, but I'm warning you I won't play anyone's fool, and I certainly won't become part of a twisted triangle where I stand no chance."

I didn't have an answer for her, anything I said to keep her here wouldn't be true, and she already seemed to know smiled a sad smile and picked up her suitcase, "I would say that I'm not heart broken, but it's not true." She kissed my cheek. "Goodbye Seeley. And go get her, don't let her slip through your fingers because I don't think that you would ever recover." And with that she left.

I stood in my apartment for a moment longer wondering how my life had gotten so tangled, before I grabbed my keys and left the empty apartment. Not stopping to think until I knocked on her door for fear that I would lose my nerve.

I heard her turn the dead bolt and as she opened the door I locked eyes with her. "You love me?"

"Yes I believe that I told you that earlier." She stepped aside so I could walk into her apartment, closing the door slowly behind me and locking it again, before she turned to look at me. "What are you doing here Booth?"

"I'm trying to make sure I'm not dreaming. Can you tell me again?"

"Why?" She wrinkled her forehead.

"Please I just need to hear it one more time," I looked at her, "so I can have all the facts."

"Ok that's rationale. I love you Booth."

"You get that there's no going back from here? There's no running or leaving that this is it? That we're going to have to make this work because I can't do this anymore." I questioned giving her one more chance to back away before I invested everything I had again.

She nodded, and whispered "I know, I love you." And she said those words again, the ones that only a few years ago I would have never thought she'd say, and now she was saying them with regularity causing my heart rate to rocket.

"Oh god Bones…" I wanted to collapse from relief "I love you." I pulled her into my arms.

She didn't respond at first, "What about..."

I cut her off, "It was never a contest Bones it's always been you. Before she left she told me she knew that the moment she met you.." And that's when her arms came around me and she hugged me to her as tight as possible.

"Tell me again?" She asked into my chest.

I lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, "I love you Bones more than you can ever possibly imagine."

I let go of her chin but she didn't break her gaze, "I love you too." I pulled her tightly against me again refusing to let her go anytime in the near future.

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**Thought's please, I really do appreciate it when you tell me what you thought.**

**Babyrose  
**


	43. Balancing

**Hi friends! I'm sorry it's been ages but I've been struggling with coming up with anything that constitutes a plot long enough for a one shot. But now I have one. Now this particular piece is based on some season six spoilers, so if you're totally spoiler free steer clear but you probably already know these otherwise. It's not a super happy or fluffy piece but it is what I believe to be a possible course for season six.**

**Now I will take the time to remind you that Bones is not mine, I'm simply borrowing it to write on, but otherwise I use it for entertainment and occasional obsession over.**

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Balancing 

It was never really gone, but when we've been apart for a few months it seems to have faded. It's not so difficult to believe that there could be someone beyond her. That I could find someone else and everything would be right with the world again, and I wouldn't feel like a part of me had been ripped away when she panicked, or when I had to watch her every day.

So yeah, I found what I believe to be love, obviously, it didn't feel the same as before but it was someone else and so those feelings are bound to change. And when it turned out that she could come back from Afghanistan to be with me in DC, it did make me happy because that's what should make someone happy.

But when I got back first and saw Bones for the first time and she hugged me, thrilled to see me and she was happy to work together, even when she as happy that I had found someone. I felt that part of me that had disappeared that I thought had disappeared throbbed a little bit, and it didn't feel like it had faded nearly as much as I had thought.

Bones would have told me that I was rationalizing when I told myself over and over that it was just the shock of seeing her again. That I would readjust, then Hannah would come, and everything would be just fine.

And it was just fine, Hannah and I didn't seem to have any trouble with our relationship now that we weren't in a war zone, in fact we were doing better than ever. And I was happy to have both my best friend and my girlfriend in the same place.

But the more I was back the more time I spent with Bones working on cases, doing things that we used to do, only now they were hampered because there was Hannah. But with every smile I got from Bones, every mis-used punch line, and every "I don't know what that means" I felt everything come flooding back to me. And when I'm alone I find myself wondering how I ever thought that moving on was a possibility. But it was what we'd decided should happen.

I spent the next several weeks fighting with myself over my natural inclination to drop everything that was not Bones related. It didn't help that everyone, and I mean everyone, kept making side comments about our relationship status. But I threw myself into making sure that my relationship with Hannah was working, and that she was happy.

It wasn't enough though, making her happy didn't make my happy it didn't make the world feel like everything was falling into place, instead I just exhausted and unhappy with myself. So much so that Bones even notice, asking me what was wrong and commenting on what she deemed strange behavior for me, at every opportunity.

That was until he struck again, and this time it was Bones that he was aiming for. It didn't matter what protections I had put on her, he got her. And suddenly she was gone, and the world that I'd been precariously balancing trying not to let anything show and make both women happy, crashed down around me.

I couldn't focus, she was gone and I couldn't grasp that I'd never got the opportunity to do so many things with her, or that I would never get the chance to see her crooked grin or hear her throaty laugh again, or listen to her explain cause of death to me in the squintiest terms imaginable. I just sat on the couch in her office staring at the folders in front of me trying to process the information they were telling me. Instead, there was a constant stream of memories flooding my brain.

It wasn't until I realized that Hannah was beside me that I felt ashamed. But she sat there calm as can be and told me that she didn't care that I didn't love her in the same way, and that I never would. Right now all she cared about was finding my partner and the love of my life and when we'd done that she would leave and she wouldn't force me to tear myself in two anymore. Then she picked up a file and began pouring over the information in front of her, looking for what I'd missed in my dire state.

She was the one that found it, that missing clue that allowed us to find her. She didn't gloat she simply handed me the phone and told me to call it in as she told the squint squad. And then she came with us and stood waiting on the edge of the chaos, sending me in with the words, "go get your girl."

She was alive and relatively unharmed when I found her. Her arms wrapped around me and she buried her head in the crook of my neck allowing her tears to flow freely, as I hugged her to me whispering that she was going to be ok that she was safe and I wasn't going to let anything like this ever happen to her again. That was when the every rationale Bones was back as she whispered into my neck that I couldn't possibly promise that.

I carried her out of the building allowing the forensic techs to sweep the building for any clue of the bastard that had done this to her and took her to the paramedics for them to check her out. As they fussed over her, and she scolded them when they'd mis-identified which bones he'd broken, Hannah kissed me on the cheek and whispered good-bye into my ear before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Hours later, I arrived at Bones' apartment clutching a bag of takeout, oblivious to the hour knowing that she would be awake; I knocked trying to wait patiently for the door to open. Relieved when it did to reveal her looking whole despite the bruising on her face and the brace on her wrist.

She didn't say anything simply turning from the down and walking into the kitchen as though she was on autopilot, pulling plates from the cabinet. That's when I stopped her, setting the food on the counter and pulling her to me, she was stiff for a moment before relaxing into me breathing deeply.

I don't know how long we stood their but eventually she pulled back a little to look at me. "Booth what about Hannah?"

I thought about wavering on the point until she was in a better place mentally to tell her exactly what happened, but I couldn't do it. "She's gone Bones."

She looked genuinely upset for me, "I'm so sorry Booth." She didn't look at me though instead choosing to smooth my t-shirt. "Why'd she leave?" She asked.

"Because she's not blind Bones." I hoped that she was able to pick up on the meaning of the phrase without me having to explain it more, but the look on her face told me it would take more for her to really understand. "She could see that I was trying to balance two worlds, and two women that don't fit together, you've notice it too. It's why I've been acting weird," I told her reassuringly. "And when you were gone I couldn't process anything because I was afraid to hurt either one of you. But she came and helped find you and then told me to go get you."

There was silence in her kitchen as she processed the words resting her head against my chest. "Stay Booth." Was all she asked, but that was all it took as I scooped her up and carried her into her bedroom, settling her on the bed before crawling in after her and allowing her to wrap around me.

"I'm not going anywhere." I reassured her.

* * *

**Well what did you think? It's been a while since I wrote anything over 500 words so I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. **

**Babyrose  
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	44. Deal

**Hi friends! Ok so for those of you that read _Splashes of Smiles_ this is a continuation of Deal in that collection. For those of you that don't read it, I included it at the beginning (since it's only 500 words). Really this is brain candy. It's absolutely mindless fluff, with the single intention of making you grin.**

**A few things before I get started. First it switches back and forth between Brennan and Booth's point of view. Second I'm assuming that the Jeffersonian is located where the Smithsonian's are right now (only important if you know your way around DC). Third I know nothing about hockey, other than it's played on ice. Fourth this is long, nearly 6000 words. And last but not least, Bones isn't mine and that doesn't make me sad because if it was I wouldn't be able to do these things with our favorite characters.**

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* * *

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Deal

I don't exactly know what happened but somehow Bones and I had decided to pursue a relationship, the details I'm still fuzzy on. But I'd laid down that I didn't want to rush it so I didn't want to have sex for at least the first two weeks.

Now we were at the dinner ordering coffee and pie when she looked at me, "I'll make you a deal?" She said with a sly smile.

"What's the deal?"

"Well you don't want to have sex too early in our relationship because you don't want to ruin anything" She gave me a skeptical look that told me she thought that I was nuts but was willing to let me have my way. "So we'll go on three dates this week."

"Three dates in a week? Don't you think that'll be a little exhausting?" I asked with a lifted eyebrow knowing that she wasn't going to budge.

"Not at all we see each other every day already." She told me rationally.

I nodded my head in agreement, "Ok you're right, so what are these three dates?"

She looked at me for a few seconds, trying to determine how to approach it. "Well there is an art exhibit I'd like to go to in DuPont so I thought we could do dinner and go to that tomorrow for our first date. Then on Thursday the Flyers are playing the Capitals…. And well I got us tickets to go." She said hesitantly.

"Seriously Bones. That's so awesome. What are our seats? You didn't spend too much on them did you?" I asked, I was dying to go the game.

"You'll see when we get there and I spent what I deemed appropriate on them. Now will you let me finish." She tried to sound annoyed but the gleam in her eye told me she was happy that she got it right. "Then on Friday I've been invited to an event because of my book, and I would like it if you would be my date."

"What kind of event?" Some of the things she is invited to are super boring, plus it could be for one of her textbooks and not the Kathy Reichs books.

"A launch party for the newest novel." She told me calmly. That sounds like fun.

I studied her for a moment, "I have one amendment to this proposal." I told her seriously, if I was going to cave on the two weeks, I got to make some changes.

"Ok" Now she looked nervous.

"I want to add one more date." She narrowed her eyes a little. "On Saturday you come over to my place and I'll make you dinner and we'll watch a movie and take it easy, and whatever happens from there I'll make you breakfast in the morning."

The sly smile was back. "That would be acceptable. Do we have a deal?"

I pulled her up from the table, and kissed her. "We have a deal."

* * *

She was sipping a glass of wine sitting at a table in the restaurant that we'd pick out the day before, closing her eyes as she savored the liquid sliding down her throat. I smile to myself happy to see her relaxing. "Hi Bones." I told her briefly considering whether I should kiss her or just sit down, I settled for brushing a kiss across her cheek, smiling as she blushed a little.

"How was your meeting?" She asked picking up her menu.

"It was fine, Hacker spent most of it making bad jokes. I'm getting to rookies assigned to me in Homicide, so they might have to tag along with us at some point." I told her honestly

"Booth. I don't like working with someone new." She almost whined.

I scoffed, "Bones that's not fair, you have a new intern every week."

The waiter conveniently turned up to take our order before she could say anything but as soon as he was gone, "They're not new anymore they're just cycling so I don't have to acclimate them to the lab and they very rarely come out in the field with us, if they do it's usually with just me."

We spent the rest of dinner arguing the pros and cons of interns vs. rookies. Eventually I won although I felt like she did, but we'd agreed that the Rookies could come into the field but only one at a time, because she insisted that two brand new agents at once would be too much for her to properly teach.

When the check came, she reached for the folder but I snapped it up from under her hand, "Nope not happening tonight Bones. Dinner and the gallery exhibit is on me."

She smiled pleased to engage in our typical banter, "Booth the whole night can't be on you, I asked you here remember? I believe that current social norms dictate that whoever suggested the date is obligate to pay for it."

I slid my card into the holder and handed it to the passing waiter, "Yes current social norms don't adjust themselves to the fact that you're paying for a hockey game on Thursday. So I'm going to let you pay for the hockey game and I'll pay for tonight."

"You're going to let me pay for everything on Thursday?" She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

I nodded, "Right down to every last bit of stadium pretzel, Bones"

"Well that seems fair then," She stood collecting her purse, "Shall we walk over to the gallery?"

We strolled down the street to the gallery and she waited patiently as I got tickets for the exhibit that I she wanted to see and then we made our way to the third floor. I'm the first to admit that art exhibits aren't really my thing, but it's absolutely fascinating to watch her wander from painting to painting. The ones that she doesn't like she merely glances over, but the pieces that she does like she'll spend several minute in front of them examining it before reading the little descriptor, and then she'll go back to looking at the painting trying to see if there was anything else she could get from it. It was like watching her study bones, but without the stress of a case behind her.

She caught me watching her while she was studying an abstract white rose. "What are you looking at Booth?" She whispered trying not to disturb the others in the gallery.

I smiled, "You." I respond, giving me the desired effect of seeing her blush.

"Booth," She tried to scold, "You're supposed to be looking at the art."

"I am," I assured her "but you're so adorable to watch as you look the pieces you like, almost like studying bones, you give each piece so much attention. Besides you're a work of art yourself." I told her just for the added affect of seeing her speechless as she didn't know how to respond.

From then on as we moved from piece to piece she would tell me what she was examining in each piece and ask my opinions of them, trying to keep me engaged, at times relying on our relentless banter to discuss a piece that one of us liked and the other didn't.

We reached the end of the gallery and I was surprised to find myself a little disappointed, "Wow, I think that is the first time that I've enjoyed an art exhibit."

"Maybe you just never been to a good exhibit" It was more of a statement than a question.

I shook my head, "I think it has more to do with the company than the art." And she blushed again.

"You have to stop doing that." She insisted as we walked back to where we'd parked our cars.

"Stop what?" I asked pretending to be oblivious.

"Making me blush." She stated clearly, as she slipped her hand into mine, causing my heart rate to rocket.

I cleared my throat, "But you're so pretty when you do."

"It's irrational." She shook her head, "After all these years you shouldn't be able to make me do that because you already know so much."

"But that's why I can Bones, I know just what to say to see that, because I know you. Besides I think it's about time that you have someone that can make you blush from time to time." I told her as we reach her car.

She turned to face me, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" She looked unsure of the answer for some reason.

"Well either we catch a new case or if not I'll bring the rookies over tomorrow and you can lecture them on the ins and outs of appropriate lab behavior. And by the end of it they'll understand the rest of the bureau's apprehension to work with you." I joked.

"It makes them less likely to separate us if no one wants to work with me." She told me reasonably, as if she'd been doing this for years with that exact goal in mind. "Lunch tomorrow as well?"

"Yeah, and then on Thursday the Flyers game. I'm totally bringing you a jersey to wear Bones. I can't wait to go." I told her enthusiastically.

"I'm not entirely sure what that means but I'm sure you'll explain it to me by Thursday." She smiled, and the silence stretched between us. Eventually she sighed, "I should go Booth."

"I know." I told her stepping inside her comfort zone before ducking briefly to press a kiss to her lips. "Goodnight Bones, sleep tight and I'll see you tomorrow."

She froze momentarily but recovered quickly, "Night Booth. I had fun tonight." She squeezed my hand before releasing it and dashing around her car, and driving into the seemingly endless stream of traffic headed for DuPont circle.

* * *

He came into the lab wearing what appeared to be a hockey jersey and carrying another one, this is what he meant by bringing me something to wear. He was grinning as he pulled open my office door, "Are you ready Bones?"

I nodded, closing out my document and powering the computer down. "Yes I'm ready. Did you want to drive?" I asked him standing to collect my things.

"Nah the Verizon Center's only a few blocks from here; if we walk we'll be able to escape that much easier." He then proceeded to hold up the second jersey, "Look what I brought for you." He shook it with excitement very reminiscent of Parker.

"Booth that's going to huge on me, couldn't I just wear a hat?" I asked secretly hoping that I wouldn't have to put on either.

"Nope." He shook his head, "I brought you a hat too" And out of his back pocket, he produced an orange baseball hat with the Flyers logo. "Besides the jersey's Parkers it shouldn't be terribly huge on you, plus it'll keep you warm and you'll fit right in."

"How will I fit right in were officially in the Capitals home town won't there be more fans for them?" I asked confused.

He shrugged unconcerned, "Probably, but this is DC nobody's originally from here, so there's always plenty of fans for the away teams." He tossed me the jersey, "Put it on and then we'll go."

I briefly glanced at the jersey deciding that it certainly wasn't worth fighting over and that it would probably make him disproportionately happy. I pulled it over my head and added the orange hat to top it off. "Well how do I look?" I asked and was rewarded with a huge grin.

"You look fabulous." He told me closing the distance between us wrapping an arm around my waist and hauling my body to his as his other hand slid round my neck and he ducked his head below the brim of the hat and kissed me more thoroughly than he ever had, knocking off the hat.

Air became necessary and he pulled back studying me for a moment, "We should probably get going before we don't leave at all." He joked bending down to scoop the hat off the floor and resituating it on my head. "So where are our seats?" He asked for the millionth time in two days leading the way out of the lab.

"You'll see when we get there." I answered just as I had ever other time.

We talked as we made our way to Gallery Place joining the flood of Capitals and Flyers fans headed in the same direction. "Bones you should have heard Agent Frosh complaining about you on the way back."

"Why all I did was point out that she was no longer at Quantico, no longer the best in the field and she certainly isn't qualified to do any forensic work." I asked amused, the rookie had believed herself to be the best at everything when she arrived and presumed she knew everything trying to explain to me that her one anatomy class in college had spent two weeks on the bones and that made her as qualified as me to look at them.

"I simply put her in her place, she wouldn't be able to determine if a phalange was from the right or the left hand if she spent hours poring over it. I hope you told her to stop her complaining." I glanced over at him pondering for a moment before linking my arm with his.

"Oh I did, she won't be coming back to the lab for a while. Agent Rhoades on the other hand did really well on the job. I was impressed, when I took him to the firing range he did nearly as well as me."

"He did seem quite willing to learn. Although I'm not sure he has an aptitude for forensics." I wonder aloud.

Booth shrugged, "He doesn't need it, he needs an aptitude for understanding and working with squints," He looked at me and smiled, "It's not like I have an aptitude for a forensics, just one for dealing with you."

"That's true," I tell him presenting the tickets so that we can enter the building. We moved through the throng of people as I looked for the right door finally finding it and handing the usher the tickets so that he could take us to our seats.

"Seriously Bones." Booth let out in a gush, "These are absolutely amazing seats, you spent way too much on this."

"Don't be silly Booth I simple asked which were the best available seats and bought them." I told him trying not to blush.

He turned to me very seriously, "Bones these are center ice, two rows from the bottom, they're ridiculously expensive."

I was now really confused, "Did I do something wrong I thought you wanted to see the hockey game, you said that it was my turn to pay, but if your uncomfortable I guess we can leave." I was just trying to doing something right and it seemed to have gone wrong and I couldn't understand when that had happened.

He looked shocked that this was the conclusion I'd come to. "No." He said forcefully, "No that's not what I meant at all I just mean…" he paused "…I just wanted to say thank you." He leaned into kiss me, knocking the hat off my head again.

"Booth do I really have to wear the stupid thing I look ridiculous." I asked our breath mingling.

"A cute ridiculous." He corrected kissing me until the man behind us cleared his throat. "Thanks Bones, this is great"

The game began and I was really trying to follow what was happening on the ice but I was vastly more interested in observing the crowd at the game. Every now Booth would try explaining what was happening on the ice, he was naming players and explaining what position they played, when I cut him off asking him a question about the type of defense the team was playing. "Where'd you learn that Bones?"

I realize that I'd accidentally revealed some of my preparation, "I asked Wendell to explain some of the basics to me this morning."

"Just when I think that it's impossible for you to do anything more you than not understanding a pop culture reference you prep for a hockey game."

"I didn't want to be totally clueless I wanted to have a basic understanding." I explained.

"I know you did, and that's what's great." He grinned at me.

The Flyers won and we left into the teeming streets of gallery place, grateful that we'd walk from work. When we reached the parking garage, he pulled up short bringing me to a halt with a tug on my hand. "Let me drive you home Bones, I'll pick you up in the morning."

"My car's here." I try to protest knowing that it was fruitless.

He pulled me close wrapping one arm around my waist, without releasing the other hand. "Let me drive you home Bones, so that I can walk you to your door and kiss you goodnight."

It sounded like something out of one of those cheesy romantic comedy movies Angela's made me watch, and yet I couldn't help giving in. "Ok." I nod stretching up on my toes to kiss him gently.

"That's my girl." He opened the door to the SUV letting me climb in before closing it gently and jogging around to the other side. I watched the city stream by as we drove home, admiring as I always did the grandeur the exuded.

Booth slid into the parking spot in front of my building, cutting the engine and climbing out again. "Come on my sleepy Bones." He offered me a hand as I met him round the front of the truck.

Before I realized it we were standing in front of my door, "I had a great time Bones, thank you for taking me."

"You're welcome Booth. I had a lot of fun." I told him, taking a step closer so that our bodies brushed. "You should come inside." I told him running my free hand up his arm, and along his shoulder blade tell I could thread my fingers through the short hairs at the base of his skull.

He chuckled, "You know I won't do that." He wrapped his free arm around my waist, so he could pull me closer but he brushed his lips feather light over mine, before smiling and covering my mouth with his, until coherent thought had completely fled my brain.

When he pulled back, I heard myself whimper just a bit in a completely involuntary manner. "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?" I asked again.

"No" he admitted leaning his forehead against mine. Inhaling deeply he kissed my forehead. "Which is why I'm going to leave now."

Respecting his wishes seemed paramount in the moment, "The limo will pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow before coming to get me."

Now he grinned, "A limo hun?"

I blushed a little nodding, "It is my book launch party, and the guest of honor and her date get to arrive in what Angela calls: style."

He smiled at me so adoringly that I had to fight the urge to look away. "Sleep tight Bones." He whispered.

"Goodnight Booth." I kissed his jaw line relishing in the feel of the day old stubble.

"Sweet dreams beautiful." He told me squeezing my hand before walking down the hallway, as I open my door.

* * *

The knock on my door came promptly at 7:30, and I grinned to myself glad that I'd pick up the bouquet of flowers on my way home from work. I snagged the collection of daisy's and daffodils off the counter, and left the apartment.

As the limo whisked through the teeming Friday night streets of DC I was glad that I wasn't driving there seemed be a ton off extra traffic. But within minutes, we arrived at Bones' apartment and I was knocking on her door flowers in hand.

All the years that Bones and I had been partners did not prepare me for the sight the greeted me when the door opened. Her hair soft and curly falling from the knot at the back accented by the smoky make up that was barely discernible and yet just enough to completely alter her look from respected scientist to sexy author.

The dress was a deep turquoise that draped off of one should and she was currently turning around exposing the milky white skin of her back to me, "Booth," I heard her call to me snapping me out of my admiration. "Booth, can you zip me up."

I swallowed hard, "Sure thing." I tugged the zipper up covering not nearly enough of her skin if we were going out in public, but at the same time making the dress all the more attractive. I pressed a kiss to her shoulder before she had a chance to turn around. "You looking stunning Bones."

She turned smiling, almost embarrassed, "Thank you Booth. Are those for me?" She indicated the flowers.

"Well they were but now they don't seem nearly fancy enough." I handed them too her.

"Booth don't be ridiculous, they're beautiful and my favorite. Let me put them in water and grab my shoes and we should be ready to go." She turned striding into the kitchen, filling a vase and setting them in it before disappearing into her bedroom, coming back out holding a silver clutch and a pair of sliver peep toe heels.

"And just when I thought it wasn't possible for you to look any sexier you come out in the shoes." I leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You're going to be the death of me Bones."

She smiled cheekily, "Well then I should remind you that it's your own fault, because you added one more date, onto our deal."

"Yeah well I'm going to stick to it." I resolved while mentally smacking myself and wondering what was wrong with me for wanting to delay making love to this amazing woman any longer than I had to.

She smirked a little bit. "Let's go."

I snapped to attention offering her my arm, "My lady."

She slipped her arm through mine, shaking her head. "You can be so silly sometimes."

"All to make you smile." I told her as we walked down to the limo.

"So what's the deal tonight?" I asked as the limo slid into traffic whisking us across town. "Are their going to be cameras and famous people? Or just a bunch of people and lots of booze?"

"I would imagine both." She told me settling into my side. "I don't really know I've never had one of these before."

I looked at her confused, "You've never had a launch party before?"

She shook her head, "I wasn't comfortable doing this type of thing. I'm still not sure that I am, but my publisher insisted that I was a big enough author these days that I absolutely had to have one."

I sensed the nervousness lurking in her voice even though she didn't want me to know. "You're going to be great Bones, you're the star of the party, and nothing's going to go bad. And if it does I'll be right there to whisk you away to safety." I assured her giving her a squeeze.

She sat up though looking at me extremely grateful, "You promise?"

"Yeah I promise." I was a little shocked normally she didn't pause to double check my statements.

She leaned in and kissed me, pulling back. "Good because we're here and it appears there's a red carpet, and photographers." With that she turned and opened the door stepping gracefully out of the car waiting for me to follow.

I emerged into hundreds of camera flashes and questions being yelled at us. She froze just briefly before a smile graced her face and I placed my hand on the small of her back and guided her up the carpet, stopping every now and then for more pictures of us to be taken, before we finally made it inside.

"I would say the worst is over, but now I actually have to talk to people." She squeezed my hand winding her way through the crowd heading for her publisher. She began the mindless small talk with the publisher giving me time to scoop two champagne glasses from a passing waiter passing her one as her publisher launched into a series of introductions, earning a grateful smile from her.

The hours passed, as she signed more books and talked to more people, every single one of them inquiring as to whether I was the real Andy Lister. Originally, she would give them long-winded explanations as to why I wasn't Andy, being her usual awkward self explaining that although we're dating now we still haven't had sex and so there is no way that I could possibly be Andy. That usually ended conversations, but eventually she settled for a flat out _no_ choosing to engage them in further conversation about something unrelated to the book.

I could see her beginning to tire of all of the questions and constant smiling so I tugged her out onto the dance floor. "Can the real life Andy dance with the real life Kathy?"

"Booth, you're not Andy." She protested falling into step with me.

"Oh come on you published that first book after we worked together for the first time. Of course I'm Andy." I spun her around.

"Booth I have no knowledge of how you would do half the things in there."

"Not yet, besides I already know that Angela helps you with those pieces." I brought her closer. She looked up at me with skeptical amusement, "What you have to admit that it would be an awfully strange coincidence that you work with your first FBI agent and then write a book with an FBI agent that's not based on him."

"There's no such…" She trailed off realizing her mistake.

"…thing as coincidences." I finished for her.

She looked frustrated for a moment that I'd finally pinned her on a point we'd been arguing for the last seven years. "I admit that Andy Lister shares numerous characteristics that I would generally associate with you. But that doesn't mean you are him." She finished defiantly.

I stopped where I was on the dance floor kissing her solidly, "See that wasn't so hard." I told her as I pulled back resting my head against hers for a moment before continuing to move her around the dance floor.

"Hmph." She snorted amused, before pulling herself closer allowing her head to settle on my shoulder as we swayed on the dance floor. She pressed a kiss to my neck, "Thank you for coming with me tonight."

I ran a hand soothing down her spin, "Bones I would follow you anywhere you asked." I paused, "Probably places you don't ask me to if I thought it was necessary."

Her eyes fluttered closed, "That's why I love you." She told me softly oblivious to the grin that spread on my face.

"I'd do it because I love you." I assured her holding her upright as the fatigue of the last week finally caught up with her. "Alright sleepy head." I kissed her temple. "I believe it's time to go home."

"I can't go home, it's my party." She sleepily protested.

"And it'll keep going without you." I tugged her towards the door, stopping only to bid her publisher farewell before guiding her out into the night air, amazed at the limo that seemed to materialize from nowhere.

The ride home was quiet as she fell asleep against me. Before I knew it, she was snoring gently and we were gliding to a halt at her front door. I took one look at her before scooping her into my arms and climbing out of the car, telling the drive that he could go I'd call a cab to get home.

She slept the whole way up, and didn't even flinch when I juggled her trying to open the door. It wasn't until I set her down on the bed that she woke up. "Where are we?"

"Your bedroom Bones." I whispered in the darkness as I searched for something for her to sleep in.

"Oh." She blinked sleepily reaching around to unzip her dress. "I had a plan to seduce you tonight." She admitted as the dress floated to the ground and she pulled out a t-shirt and sweat pants from nowhere. "But I'm simply too tired."

I tried not to react to the fact that she was basically stripping in front of me, only to cover herself back up, and instead chuckled at her forthright statement. "I should go." I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow night ok."

"Stay." Was all she said in response.

"Bones." I tried to convey a warning.

"Not to have sex Booth, just sleep here tonight." She pleaded crawling under the covers. "Please."

I'm not that much of idiot: when a beautiful woman asks you to sleep next to her, are you really going to say no. "Ok but I have to leave early tomorrow. I have some errands and I have to get the stuff for dinner tomorrow." I told her unbuttoning the dress shirt.

"That's fine." She yawned sleepily closing her eyes as I slipped under the covers with her and she wrapped herself around me. "Goodnight Booth."

* * *

He was gone when I woke up late Saturday morning, but he'd left hot coffee and had retrieved the morning paper for me, making me smile. So I spent the morning calming Angela down because she'd seen photos of the night before, begging her not to make too much of a fuss about it on Monday morning, and working on my book.

I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt with a cardigan, leaving my apartment trying to convince myself not to be nervous, which for some reason was not working, and made my way across town.

He opened the door beaming, spoon in hand dishtowel slung over his shoulder. "Hi" he beamed enthusiastically leaning in to kiss me hard. "Dinner's almost ready, let me get you a glass of wine."

He strode back into the kitchen stirring whatever he was making on the stove before pulling the glass from the cabinet and pouring me a glass of the red he'd picked out. We chatted about his day and mine and the nerves disappeared this was no different than any other time I'd been over here, only this time we both got to take it further than we'd been allowed to before.

Something about that made me bold, maybe the wine was going straight to my head, I set the glass down and walked up behind him plastering myself to his back, and slipping my hands under the front of his t-shirt as I pressed kisses to the back of his neck.

He chuckled leaving the spoon in the pot turning to face me, tucking his head in the crook of my neck placing sucking kisses on my collarbone. Lifting me up and setting me on the counter, indulging both our wishes as he peeled my cardigan off letting it fall onto the counter top.

That was until the buzzer interrupted. "Damn." He swore pulling back, looking at me. "Dinner's ready." He told me almost disappointed.

"It'll reheat." I tried to reassure him and appease my lust-filled mind.

He shook his head. "That's not the point." He gestured to the table he had laid with flowers and candles, hitting the play button on his iPod, speakers filling the room with soft jazz. "I have flowers and candles Bones. I made you dinner… Let me romance you?" He brushed my hair behind my ears softly brushing his lips across mine. "Just this once let me show you how it's supposed to be done."

I leaned into the hand he had resting on my cheek. "Ok." I nodded. "Show me how it's supposed to be done Booth." I relented.

"Excellent" He grinned clapping his hands, before turning and pulling out dishes serving me the vegetarian version he'd made and himself the one with chicken. Setting them on the table with a flourish, he pulled out my chair and we settled in to eat.

The candles were low when I finally decided that I couldn't possibly eat any more and pushed the plate back, standing and stretching. I looked at him, smiling to myself knowing that I'd put that content grin on his face. I rounded the table and straddled his lap wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him until the need for air became pressing. "So I believe our deal was dinner and a movie. But I don't think that I'll survive the movie Booth." I rolled my hips over his hoping to make my point clear.

"Thank god." He groaned, standing up with me in his arms. "I've been mentally beating myself up since you got here for adding a movie to this." He carried me down the hall.

"Show me how to break the laws of physics Booth." I asked as he settled me onto the bed.

"Gladly Bones." As he peeled off my shirt.

The sun was streaming into the room when I opened my eyes, to the sight of him carrying a tray towards me. I sat up in the bed stretching before reclining against the pillows as he set the tray with coffee, eggs, fruit and an English muffin in front of me, before leaning in for a kiss. "I believe that breakfast was the final part of our deal." He grinned climbing back into bed with me.

"That it was." I smirked, taking a bit of the eggs before me.

* * *

**See wonderfully fluffy. Did it make you smile? Because if it didn't you should go get your fill of smiles with _Splashes of Smiles._**

**For those of you that don't read my other collection I've decided it's time for a count down till the US premiere, so I'll remind you here. 13 DAYS UNTIL THE SEASON SIX PREMIERE! **

**That's all folks, have a good weekend**

**Babyrose  
**


	45. Back Where You Started

**Before I begin what is the last installment of this series I just wanted to take a minute to thank all my readers, reviews, and lurkers, you are all absolutely fantastic people who make always make my day brighter. Now this is the last piece of the series because I figure that I should start a new one to go with a new season. And as a new season is upon us it would seem that 45 is a good number to end with. **

**I am spoiler free, however I am taking a wild stab in the dark (which currently feels fairly accurate) that we are in for a bumpy ride this season and so I'm predicting how Hanson and Co. will deal with it when it's all said and done. I sincerely doubt that this is what will happen but it's been niggling my brain for days now. **

**This is dedicated to my roommate from last semester who is way to far away for my liking at the moment because our current locations mean that we can't watch Bones together.**

**Bones is not mine for any thing other than sheer adoration, occasional obsession, a frequent freak outs.**

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Back Where You Started

You don't know what made you do it, but you found yourself pulling on your coat and walking out into the blustery spring weather. It doesn't make sense you tell yourself over and over again. You've been back for months so the arrangement that you had a year ago now is moot because well you've been working together again for months now.

Maybe it's just because so much has changed in the intervening months, it's like being on a constant roller coaster, only you can't see what's around the next bend, and so you're just holding on just hoping to make it to the end. But now that everything has leveled out and gone back to normal you feel like your head isn't on quiet straight anymore. So now you're pulling your jacket close against the biting spring wind that doesn't quiet carry the warmth of summer with it yet, walking slowly toward the one place that you feel like you might be able to fix that.

The conflicting feelings are just too much to handle anymore. You know that you brought it on yourself in the first place. You didn't take a stand and tell her that leaving was not the answer, instead you decided that leaving was the way to go as well. If she wasn't going to be here then there was no reason for you to be. You rationalized that this would give you the time to move on, to separate yourself from the situation.

You thought that it worked too. You built for yourself a world without her and you were happy as long as you were ignoring that strange hollow feeling whenever the new love of your love got all of your jokes. But as long it was the you and your new love in the new world that you'd created it wasn't a problem. It wasn't until your new world collided with your old world that you realized how truly shaky and false that new world was. And the new love of your life was really just a patch that felt good but could never measure up to the real thing.

And so that had fallen apart, and at first you'd been upset with yourself and mad at her for being the one thing that you couldn't change in the world. But that was until you rolled out of bed this morning and realized that it had been a year and despite everything that had happened in that year you were right back where you started.

The thought didn't so much depress you and confuse you. You'd been sure that there had been forward motion in the last year, and yet you had nothing to show for it. Which is why you've found yourself walking up to the coffee cart and ordering a large cup of the acidic brew, and leaving an ridiculous tip before turning to walk over to your bench only to find it occupied by the one person you'd never would have thought would be there and couldn't help hoping she'd show.

You settle on the bench next to her sipping on your coffee, "Bones," she breaks out of her revere and looks at you. "What are you doing here?"

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You've had the day marked in your calendar since the day you got back. It was an irrational move that you couldn't even explain to yourself, but you didn't question it. Yes, you've both been back from you're respective corners of the world for five months, approximately. But it hasn't really felt like you were back just like before instead you feel like you've been living in an alternate reality, as ridiculous as that sounds, where everything is the same and yet just a little bit different.

But today is the today where maybe you can sort everything out, if you just remove yourself from the day to day and go to the one place that was always yours and just think over everything that had happened in the interim and try to draw some conclusions that would explain why so much has happened and yet you haven't really moved in any direction.

So instead of going into work today you just drive yourself as close as you can and then you walk over and buy the much anticipated cup of coffee, adding just a splash of sugar because it reminds you of him, before turning and going over the bench.

You can't help it when your disappointed that he's not already seated on the bench, but you scold yourself, knowing that neither of you ever talked about keeping that promise you made at the airport since you came back, and that it was only rational to think that it wasn't going to happen.

Tucking yourself into one side of the bench you let your gaze wander as you try to analyze the events of the last year and determine what they could possibly mean. More importantly what it means that you've ended up exactly where you started despite that fact that between the two of you you've literally tired everything on the planet to change the circumstances.

Your sure that he already has an explanation, you can hear him in your head explaining that it's just fate and clearly that no matter what they do this is what is meant to be. It doesn't sound reassuring in your head though, it sounds even more nonsensical than it should. If only he was here you would ask him why he thinks you ended up right where you started. But he's not here and so you resign yourself to pondering the question, trying to come up with a rational, logical answer. When you feel someone settle onto the bench beside you.

"Bones?" He sounds surprised, as you look at him, "What are you doing here?"

It's simple and yet you feel so silly telling him, "We made a promise. One year ago today we promised that we'd meet here."

He smiles back at you looking a little bemused, "I should have known. You're not one to break a promise are you?"

You know it's a rhetorical question, he already knows the answer because he knows you better than anyone. So instead, you ask the question that's been plaguing you for days, and you already know what he's going to say but you just need to hear it from him. "Why did we end up right where we started?"

Now he smirks, shakes his head, like he's been wondering the same thing and has only just come to an conclusion. "The universe is trying to tell us that this is where we're supposed to be." You can't help it and giggle just a little bit, "What? What's so funny?" he asks like a little kid demanding to be let in on a secret.

You sigh looking up at his gorgeous face, wondering why you ever question some things. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Then why'd you ask?" he almost looks put out.

"Because I needed to hear you say it." You tell him quietly not breaking the eye contact.

His face softens just a little bit at your words as he leans a little bit closer, "I'll tell you anything you need to hear Bones." He promises gentle before leaning his forehead against yours.

You close your eyes now fighting the urge to cry, "Tell me that I won't hurt you."

His arm from the back of the bench immediately wraps around you and the tears you've been fighting escape one by one, "As long as you're here Bones, you can't hurt me."

You shudder collapsing into his embrace, inhaling the smooth clean scent that is him. "Where do we go from here?" You ask from his shoulder.

"We figure it out Bones." And you know he's right because the universe brought them back to the exact thing that they were running from in the first place and there really was no other direction to go but foreword.

"Together?" You question one last time.

"Together." He reassures you before pulling you upright taking your hand and together you walk away from the setting sun.

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**I hope that this was satisfactory in the hours before the premiere. Please tell me what you thought but don't tell me anything about the premiere because I can't watch it until at the earliest Saturday night, more likely Monday. **

**A friendly reminder that with new episodes comes new additions to _Sublimated Attraction_ so keep your eyes peeled for that. **

**And as the song from the end of the season five finale plays from my computer I will bid you my wonderful readers adieu and hope that Season six is fantastic for your sake as much as mine, and request that you keep a look out for my new collection coming soon.**

**Your Humble Author**

**Babyrose  
**


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